Comments on: All possible outcomes in the cosmic dance of existence: the passing of a friend and colleague http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/ Life, Culture and Politics from BrisVegas Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:53:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Graham Bell http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82274 Graham Bell Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:56:31 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82274 Brian: Haiku - like Opera - is an acquired taste but I've been lucky enough to come across translations of a few really good Haiku .... can't remember coming across Buchanan's selection though .... thanks. Mortality is our fate. All you can do is prepare as best you can for the loss of family, friends [and enemies too] and oneself .... then get on with living. Remembering those who have died can be beneficial, even enjoyable, but brooding over death is a waste of time. :-) Brian:
Haiku – like Opera – is an acquired taste but I’ve been lucky enough to come across translations of a few really good Haiku …. can’t remember coming across Buchanan’s selection though …. thanks.

Mortality is our fate. All you can do is prepare as best you can for the loss of family, friends [and enemies too] and oneself …. then get on with living. Remembering those who have died can be beneficial, even enjoyable, but brooding over death is a waste of time. :-)

]]> By: Brian http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82273 Brian Wed, 15 Aug 2007 04:29:54 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82273 Graham, to answer the last question, I'm fairly sure not. He would have been around Kelvin Grove a bit, doing the odd guest dig. Concerning the haiku, it comes from <em>Haiku: One Hundred Famous Haiku</em>, translated by Daniel C Buchanan. When I googled I found that there were quite a few famous temples near lakes, one of which may have been known at the time as the <em>Two-Deva kings lake</em>, at least to the author. I also thought that 'lake' may be a misprint for 'gate', but although Peter's rellies were clearly not as literary as he was, I think they probably got that one right. After the funeral I went home and read the book of haiku my daughter had given me right through to see if I could find a personal favourite. I found this: <blockquote>A world of dew, and within every dewdrop a world of struggle. But I'd want to balance it with this: A world of trials, and if the cherry blossoms, it simply blossoms</blockquote> I'd have to say that I really liked Peter's apparent favourite, though. Graham, to answer the last question, I’m fairly sure not. He would have been around Kelvin Grove a bit, doing the odd guest dig.

Concerning the haiku, it comes from Haiku: One Hundred Famous Haiku, translated by Daniel C Buchanan.

When I googled I found that there were quite a few famous temples near lakes, one of which may have been known at the time as the Two-Deva kings lake, at least to the author. I also thought that ‘lake’ may be a misprint for ‘gate’, but although Peter’s rellies were clearly not as literary as he was, I think they probably got that one right.

After the funeral I went home and read the book of haiku my daughter had given me right through to see if I could find a personal favourite. I found this:

A world of dew,
and within every dewdrop
a world of struggle.

But I’d want to balance it with this:

A world of trials,
and if the cherry blossoms,
it simply blossoms

I’d have to say that I really liked Peter’s apparent favourite, though.

]]> By: Graham Bell http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82272 Graham Bell Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:51:59 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82272 Brian; Sorry, can't help you with any underlying meaning of the reference to the lake. Hadn't thought of the two guardians being like alpha-and-omega. He wasn't involved with Mt Gravatt CAE and Griffith Uni back in the '70s, was he? Brian;
Sorry, can’t help you with any underlying meaning of the reference to the lake.

Hadn’t thought of the two guardians being like alpha-and-omega.

He wasn’t involved with Mt Gravatt CAE and Griffith Uni back in the ’70s, was he?

]]> By: Brian http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82271 Brian Mon, 13 Aug 2007 21:34:42 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82271 Kim and Nabs, the whiskers were acquired during the 70s and never changed in form. Just changed from brown to white. Peter never married or had kids and I had the impression he was very different from the rest of his family. In recent years he took into his home his young nephew and niece, who had a son who was about 11 at the time of the funeral. Both the niece and her son spoke very warmly about him and the influence he'd had on them. At work with us and I imagine with the Wilston historical society, he was rather disorganised and had great difficulty with deadlines. But if you had a curly one from on high and had to get something back to the director by 5pm he could be your first and only port of call. It's just that you'd consult him and do the work yourself. If you got a draft from him it was often not usable. There were legions of stories about him, but I can't tell any because you really had to know him and love him to appreciate them. Kim and Nabs, the whiskers were acquired during the 70s and never changed in form. Just changed from brown to white. Peter never married or had kids and I had the impression he was very different from the rest of his family. In recent years he took into his home his young nephew and niece, who had a son who was about 11 at the time of the funeral. Both the niece and her son spoke very warmly about him and the influence he’d had on them.

At work with us and I imagine with the Wilston historical society, he was rather disorganised and had great difficulty with deadlines. But if you had a curly one from on high and had to get something back to the director by 5pm he could be your first and only port of call. It’s just that you’d consult him and do the work yourself. If you got a draft from him it was often not usable.

There were legions of stories about him, but I can’t tell any because you really had to know him and love him to appreciate them.

]]> By: Nabakov http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82270 Nabakov Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:42:38 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82270 Lovely little elegy there Brian. Reminds me of a great line delivered at someone's funeral service, "He was part of the luck we had". And yes, great whiskers, and it seems that also an equally fertile, generous, slightly unstructured and exuberant mind and soul was lurking close behind the face fungus. Yup he's dead now...technically. But his kinda energy always gets recycled one way or another despite the solemn humourless laws of thermodynamics. Lovely little elegy there Brian. Reminds me of a great line delivered at someone’s funeral service, “He was part of the luck we had”.

And yes, great whiskers, and it seems that also an equally fertile, generous, slightly unstructured and exuberant mind and soul was lurking close behind the face fungus.

Yup he’s dead now…technically. But his kinda energy always gets recycled one way or another despite the solemn humourless laws of thermodynamics.

]]> By: Kim http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82269 Kim Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:37:30 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82269 Excellent post, Brian. I imagine that children would have remembered your friend for the impressive whiskers! Excellent post, Brian.

I imagine that children would have remembered your friend for the impressive whiskers!

]]> By: Brian http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82268 Brian Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:17:05 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82268 Thanks, Mark. You almost certainly did meet him. Every year on the Sunday before Christmas, from the early days until last year, Peter used to hand-deliver a Christmas card to a select list of people. He designed these cards himself; they were better than anything you'd ever buy. In the beginning there were six people on his list. For two years now there has only been three. Now Peter has joined them on the other side. He was one of the truly remarkable and very unusual people who came together back in the 70s to wreak change upon the world, working (it's hard to believe) within Joh's public service. Whether we achieved much is for others to judge, but the nine of us who were there to mark Peter's passing remarked what a privilege it was to be there. Thanks, Mark. You almost certainly did meet him. Every year on the Sunday before Christmas, from the early days until last year, Peter used to hand-deliver a Christmas card to a select list of people. He designed these cards himself; they were better than anything you’d ever buy.

In the beginning there were six people on his list. For two years now there has only been three. Now Peter has joined them on the other side.

He was one of the truly remarkable and very unusual people who came together back in the 70s to wreak change upon the world, working (it’s hard to believe) within Joh’s public service. Whether we achieved much is for others to judge, but the nine of us who were there to mark Peter’s passing remarked what a privilege it was to be there.

]]> By: Mark http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82267 Mark Mon, 13 Aug 2007 09:58:12 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82267 Lovely post, Brian. I have a vague recollection of meeting Peter when I was a young kid. Lovely post, Brian.

I have a vague recollection of meeting Peter when I was a young kid.

]]> By: Brian http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82266 Brian Sun, 12 Aug 2007 08:51:29 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82266 An interesting thought, Lang Mack. Some people plan quite meticulously for their departure. One woman I know in who died in her early 90s last year got a lot of pleasure in giving most of her books away. The man who left the biggest legacy I know of was <a href="http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A140477b.htm" rel="nofollow">Father Leo Hayes</a> who literally had a house full of books and related material at Oakey. <blockquote> Hayes had bought his first book as a 7 year old and begun to gather birds eggs. Ultimately his collection comprised 25,000 books, pamphlets and periodicals (about two-thirds of them Australiana), and 30,000 manuscripts, letters and documents. It also included legal papers, press-cuttings, book-plates, stamps, notes and coins, postcards and photographs, maps, ferns, pistols, cattle-bells and Aboriginal artefacts.</blockquote> It was bequeathed to the <a href="http://www.library.uq.edu.au/fryer/" rel="nofollow">Fryer Library at the University of Queensland</a> who kept it as one of their special collections. It would have taken a rare kind of librarian to organise it. An interesting thought, Lang Mack. Some people plan quite meticulously for their departure. One woman I know in who died in her early 90s last year got a lot of pleasure in giving most of her books away.

The man who left the biggest legacy I know of was Father Leo Hayes who literally had a house full of books and related material at Oakey.

Hayes had bought his first book as a 7 year old and begun to gather birds eggs. Ultimately his collection comprised 25,000 books, pamphlets and periodicals (about two-thirds of them Australiana), and 30,000 manuscripts, letters and documents. It also included legal papers, press-cuttings, book-plates, stamps, notes and coins, postcards and photographs, maps, ferns, pistols, cattle-bells and Aboriginal artefacts.

It was bequeathed to the Fryer Library at the University of Queensland who kept it as one of their special collections. It would have taken a rare kind of librarian to organise it.

]]> By: Lang Mack http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82265 Lang Mack Sun, 12 Aug 2007 05:49:26 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/08/12/all-possible-outcomes-in-the-cosmic-dance-of-existence-the-passing-of-a-friend-and-colleague/#comment-82265 "Every time an old man dies, a library burns". “Every time an old man dies, a library burns”.

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