Life Goes On

Many years ago when in my teens, I met and became good friends with a girl of the same age as me.  Her name was Lynne Sentance, we were soul mates, at least we thought we were like teenage girls do.  We shared our thoughts and our dreams and our hopes for the future, but I think that the most important thing in our lives at that time was whatever the latest fashion trends were.  On occasion I spent sleepovers at Lynne's place and she at my home.  I was just a little bit jealous of Lynne because she had such a groovy with-it Mother in the shape of her Mum Carol whose real name was Audrey, but always called by her middle name as many people are.  Lynne also had a younger sister called Felicity and two younger brothers, Kingsley and Warwick, altogether they were a nice family and all had much affection for each other.  Carol and her husband had split up, his name was Mark I think, never met him and I know that Lynne did not like him as he was not her father, but her step father.  That was another thing we had in common, I also had a step father whom I did not like.  Lynne's birthday was on the 15th January and mine was the 14th, my parents lived in Northcote Ave, Caulfield when I was born and Lynne lived but one street away in Fitzgibbon Crescent, but we were destined not to meet for another sixteen years.  I was going to Dacomb Business College in Little Collins Street, Melbourne when we first met.  A group of us used to go across the road up into the Coles Cafeteria during breaks and one of the girls from the college had a friend called Lynne who on occasion would join us.  I lived at Macleod in those days and Lynne lived at Caulfield, but my father lived at South Caulfield with his sister and mother, so there were times particularly at the end of the week when I would head to their home where many of my weekends growing up were spent, thus my friendship with Lynne grew.  By the time we had passed our teenage years we had gone off on our different paths of life and not seen nor heard of each other again for many many years.
      About 18 months ago, I by chance while looking for something on the internet found a death notice for Lynne's mother Carol, she had passed away back in 2006 I think, I then typed in several names and when I typed in Felicity's name an address and phone number came up, so I wrote to her and included a long letter to Lynne and asked her to pass it on.  Not only did she do this, but she also rang me the night after she had received the letter and explained to me the things that had happened to Lynne throughout the years that we had not been in touch.  Felicity passed my letter to Lynne and Lynne also rang me as well as writing to me and sending a current photograph, yes it is fifty years plus since we knew each other and yes we have both changed somewhat, I think she looks really good, but I would not have known her had we passed in the street,  but tell me what 67 or 68 year old still looks as they did when in their teens.  This is a photo of Lynne today

and she now has a current up to date photo of me.  I hope we don't loose touch again.  We may have, Lynne was staying at a place at Chelsea in Victoria and I think there may have been plans afoot for her to either go on a holiday with her daughter or to go and live with her in Cairns, not sure which, but I haven't heard from her since then back in January 2013.
     Yesterday I had a bit of a look around on the Internet and typed in Lynne's married name and  was stunned when the following story came up, it is a good story though.

 As published in the Melbourne 'AGE' Newspaper on February 7, 2009

Generous soul won hearts and made a mark in Fitzroy and beyond.

Margaret Tomkins, with a photo of her lifelong friend Morris "Monty" James. Photo: Penny Stephens

Given little in his early life, Monty James went on to help others, revealing an ever-curious, capable and compassionate character.
THE odds were stacked against Morris "Monty" James early on in life. Born blind. Abandoned at six weeks old. Raised in an institution.
At his death, at 67, on September 27, Monty lived in a dingy bedsit in a less savoury part of Gertrude Street, Fitzroy.
But he was loved as a gentle and generous soul. He was a local identity in his North Melbourne jumper: white cane in one hand, transistor in the other as he walked.

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More than 150 people attended his funeral at the Brotherhood of St Laurence in Brunswick Street.
This week, the RSPCA estimated that Monty had raised $300,000 to $500,000 for charity, tin-rattling at Queen Victoria Market. For more than 35 years, he collected for the RSPCA, the Royal Women's and Royal Children's hospitals and The Alfred hospital burns unit.
In the latest RSPCA News, he is pictured grinning and cradling a baby possum. Living in institutions and rented rooms, however, meant he never owned a pet.
Monty's sister, Lynne Rodan, says their mother, Audrey, a single milliner from Elsternwick with strict parents, fell pregnant at 20. Soon after Monty was born in 1942, she relinquished him to the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind.
Margaret Tomkins, a blind girl then aged 11, was among students and staff who looked after Monty at the RVIB's Prahran nursery. They became lifelong friends.
"He was a very curious kid, he loved pulling things apart, loved exploring, he had an incredible memory. He could tell you what cricket team played on what day and date and how many runs they made," Mrs Tomkins said.
He lived at the institute until he was 15 when he was sent to Kew Cottages, a home for mentally ill children, but Mrs Tomkins helped lobby for him to leave the home "because he wasn't retarded, and his behaviour was not inappropriate. He was a lot brighter, but less able to get around."
For the next 30 years, he lived at an RVIB hostel in Prahran, then a Canterbury rooming house, working in factories.
About 1990 he moved to Fitzroy, where he would visit the Indian nuns in Gore Street, the Brotherhood in Brunswick Street, and a Johnston Street gym. He was a regular at the St Vincent de Paul soup van.
Mrs Tomkins said Monty was "a gentle person. Friendly and outgoing, but a bit removed, and a bit remote in some ways."
RSPCA fund-raising manager Yvonne Steiner said the amount he raised was "an outstanding achievement for anyone, let alone someone who has overcome a life of hardship and lived with a disability".
Although his mother, Audrey, contacted him when he was 35, the relationship failed. She died in 2007. Mrs Rodan did not know Monty existed until she was 35 and he 37; they became close. He had two sisters and two brothers.
Mrs Rodan often asked Monty to live with her in Cheltenham, but Fitzroy was where he felt at home. She scattered Monty's ashes in her garden. "I can go out every night and talk to him. I say, 'Hi Monty, I'm thinking of you. You're here amongst family and friends.' "

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/generous-soul-won-hearts-and-made-a-mark-in-fitzroy-and-beyond-20090206-7zzr.html#ixzz2T2GWjxTk

Since all of the above we have been in touch with each other on quite a few occasions. Life has been a bit heavy handed on Lynne, a couple of marriage breakdowns and the sudden death of her last partner which left her in a very delicate state.  However she has hopefully turned the corner and is now heading into a more positive phase of her life.  The sudden death of her young brother Kingsley was a dreadful upset to her and the rest of the family, it is as if all of these awful things have been sent to test her.  She has survived and will continue to do so with the love and support of her family.