A funeral service was held for Cecile on Wednesday May 15 at the Joseph Medcalf Chapel in Redfern. Cecile’s brother Phillip and his wife Thresia, and Cecile’s nieces and a grandniece, traveled from Queensland to attend the service. The following tribute by Andrew Collis was written in collaboration with Catherine Wood, Heather Robinson, Naomi Ward, Yvonne Mayer, Adrian Spry and Margaret Vazey.
It’s with deep sadness that we recall good times with our friend Cecile Pauly. It’s also with deep gratitude – gratitude for a friend so dependable, gentle and gracious – and with a love that delights in attending to the details of good memories. Cecile’s loving attention to detail was a mark of her personality and her creativity. The quality of her character and work has inspired us.
Cecile saw beauty everywhere, evident or latent – in the world around her, in human faces and stories, in literature and cinema, in pop songs and on television. There was something to be valued in all human activities and interactions. We remember someone who kept her things in beautiful condition; someone who was taught from an early age to value artifacts and resources. An archivist. A conservationist.
Cecile brought gifts to the church and to the Saturday art classes. She made donations to the Waterloo Recycling Workshop – gift-wrapped picture frames, gift-wrapped household items, clothes, books, magazines. She took great care with preparation of food – keen to provide just what was needed: the right dish, the right quantity, the right presentation. It was right because it was offered so freely, so thoughtfully.
Our poetry group was so much the better for Cecile’s involvement. We recognised right away her love of language – a love for the wellsprings of expression and communication. We knew that she was a poet. The unveiling of a new poem by Cecile Pauly – and the careful way it was read aloud – was an event. A sharing. A trust. An offering. An invitation to cherish the world, to love it towards wholeness and wellness. Cecile raised our expectations of language, of ourselves as poets and as people. What more can be asked of anyone?
We knew that Cecile was unwell, but she was so often radiant. She didn’t often complain, hardly at all. Our recollections imagine her elegant, tall like an orchid; a smart dresser with sparkly eyes and beautiful skin. We see her quietly at work on a drawing or painting, enjoying Tai Chi in the Park, Sculptures by the Sea, a road-trip to the Chapel by the Sea; at Circular Quay for a night-time movie, the Darlinghurst Theatre, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Orchard Gallery; involved with origami ribbon weaving in honour of survivors of child abuse, karaoke at Souths on Chalmers, dancing, smiling.
We hope she knows how much we cherish these visions; that we were never offended by her or disappointed in her (though sometimes she worried we might be); that we measure our courage and graciousness by way of her example; that we wish her no more pain, no shame at all, and nothing but joy.
We imagine her presence, even now. We rejoice in her good humour and fun-loving spirit. Some time ago Cecile composed a poem entitled, “I Celebrate My Passing – I Never Liked Being Left Out”. In it she imagines us gathered here – family and friends with whom she has shared life and connection. She imagines, “Ditties read out I’d hope / Who will that be? – / I must think about it … / as I so hate to think of my eulogy out of control!”
We’re so proud to be Cecile’s friends. We’re so glad she made her home, these past years, in the inner city, in Redfern.
Thank you, Cecile, for your friendship – for the quality of the friendship you offered us – for the consistency of your love – the hard-won maturity of your love. May God bless you.
