Another taxi to a pub in South Melbourne where the room had scattered about, Shirley’s hats. So many hats! We were invited to try them on and take whichever we liked most. It turns out that Shirley had a tiny head and none could fit on my fat bonce. And then , with an abundance of caution I was again in a taxi, to the airport. I could have stayed at the wake a bit longer since the plane was delayed (FFS). Got home, my dog had not eaten the couch and was pleased to see me #dogsofmastodon #tired #funeral #ShirleyShackleton

#ShirleyShackleton ’s funeral was not a somber affair. There was a mix of many grey haired folk, people of note, Timorese and some lanky children. My family is tiny. Only my cousin on Shirley’s side (he has two beautiful children) and three from my dad’s. It was a simple service with great stories about her amazing life and the huge soul she was. /4

Shirley Shackleton has died, aged 91. She had campaigned for decades to expose the killers of the Balibo Five, journalists including her husband Greg who were murdered by Indonesian forces in 1975 during the invasion of what was then Portuguese Timor.

#BaliboFive #TimorLeste
#GregShackleton #ShirleyShackleton
#Indonesia

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/balibo-five-widow-shirley-shackleton-dies/101863946

#ShirleyShackleton was my aunty. She was a huge figure in our family's life. And this might not be a known thing, but hugely amazing people can be really annoying to their family. Too close it seems. So yes, she was annoying. But I'm really grateful that she was really, really annoying to people like Alexander Downer (and a bunch of other pollies). Vale my aunty

I'm back from work, during which I confess, I spent a bit of time booking my flights. I'm FIFOing because a) I'm not made of money and b) more importantly, I have a dog. Now more about #ShirleyShackleton

So, on the weekend, my aunty died. She was 91 and living (not happily) in a nursing home. This in itself is not remarkable. She was the elder sister to my dad (d2010) and mother to my one and only cousin. Also not remarkable. But to tell the tale of a woman who grew up in Adelaide in the 1940s and 50s to become the fly in the ointment to multiple Prime Ministers and friend to Noam Chomsky, George Monbiot, Philip Adams and especially Jose Ramos Horta and Xanana Gusmão tells you why she was an extraordinary person. She was #ShirleyShackleton /2