Venie meeting visitors to the Nandimukh Publishing stand. |
Calcutta/Kolkata Book Fair - 2.5 million visitors |
VALE DEAR VENIE
Somebody different I thought — a strong performer, a unique voice.
Venie Holmgren! Little did I know.
Little did I know when I asked Venie — and Jenni Kemarre
Martiniello — to join me for the Poets and Court tour of SE NSW back in 2001,
the great friendships and experiences that would come out of it. We were three
women with very different backgrounds — Aboriginal, Irish, Jewish — and we all knew
how to work it.
Poets in Court: Jenni, Venie, Lizz with Binalong's Maria Kosseris |
Through her character and her poetry, Venie had us rocking with laughter,
paying due attention to the issues she was passionate about and just as soon moved
to tears with works such as Among the
Sepias. Due to popular demand we performed as Poets and Court at three
regional festivals and revisited that crazy week with its 13 gigs in
courthouses, church halls and cafés and even an old people’s home where Venie was
afraid she might be kept in! More laughter. We could’ve toured the world with
it.
Little did either of us know then, that we would find ourselves on
another tour, travelling to India together for a program of activities with
Wollongong poet Ron Pretty. We would take part in the amazing Calcutta Book
Fair (2.5 million people) and other events in Calcutta arranged by the
Nandimukh publishing house — friends we made through the South Coast Writers
Centre. Bengali people were incredibly friendly and hospitable but none more so
than when in the presence of ‘International Mother.’
I saw a very different city to what I would’ve experienced without
Venie — including the inside of a Calcutta police station! Reporting Venie’s
camera left behind in one of the city’s 4000 yellow taxiis, we were sent ahead
of the queue straight to the Deputy Commissioner. Venie was most amused when
she found she had to provide her family history as part of the process, was
aghast when asked her age and hooted loudly when asked her father’s age. I
think she told me he would’ve been 140 years old if still alive. She
appreciated that the Deputy Commissioner enjoyed the sound of her father’s
name, rolling ‘Samuel’ around in his mouth several times. Venie was very
pleased. So was the Deputy Commissioner — we were brought chai tea and
biscuits.
Venie and I lived on opposite ends of the SE Region so it was hard
to see each other but I treasure the get togethers we did have. They were mostly
at readings and book launches but also on a couple of memorable occasions in
her Pambula home, with evenings spent eating meals from her garden and reading
poetry around her table. Mother I’m
Rooted: An Anthology of Australian Women’s Poetry was a favourite of us
both.
After moving to Hepburn Venie told me she didn’t expect to write
any more poetry. It made me so sad to think there wouldn’t be any more of those
eloquent, moving or gutsy works so I was thrilled when I heard about The Tea House Poems. She described them
as modest but of course they are exquisite.
Venie’s exuberance and tenacity and the power of her poetry were
and always will be an inspiration. Little did I know how much richer my life would
be for knowing her.
—o—
Venie Holmgren passed on January 27 at the age of 94. She was writing and publishing to the end. You can learn more about Venie's fascinating life here.
Meeting international guests at World Conference of Poets 2001 |
At a spontaneous poetry reading at WCP |
No comments:
Post a Comment