Judith Durham farewelled at state memorial
<p dir="ltr">Judith Durham, the lead singer of The Seekers, has been farewelled at a state memorial with tributes from her bandmates, family, and fellow musicians, as well as the performance of an unreleased song featuring her vocals.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The memorial was held on September 6, just over a month after Durham passed away at the age of 79 following complications from chronic lung disease.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Band member Athol Guy unveiled the song, <em>Carry Me</em>, which was written by fellow Seekers member Bruce Woodley, during Tuesday night’s service to honour Durham.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"This song is now our collective gift to share with you tonight as we celebrate Judith's magnificent gifts to us all," Guy said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"May it carry her safely on the rest of her journey."</p>
<p dir="ltr">He said the song was written for someone needing inner peace.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“That’s probably the space that a lot of us are in as we’re here tonight.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Other musical tributes, mainly hits from The Seekers, came from Durham’s sister Beverley Sheehan, The Wiggles, Dami Im, Vika and Linda Bull, David Campbell, and Deborah Cheetham.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The <em>Georgy Girl</em> singer’s nephew, Tony Sheehan, spoke on behalf of the family at the service, saying that Durham’s mother had wished her daughters would not be tone deaf.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“She got her wish,” he said to laughter from the audience.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sheehan said his aunt was always destined to be a musician, having told her sister as a child “that one day, she’d sing on all the stages of the world”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He went on to describe her as a deeply generous and optimistic person, even when faced with death.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Judith faced death as she faced everything: with calm and strength,” Sheehan said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We will miss you but we are so proud of you.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Durham’s sister and fellow singer Beverley recalled their love of music that had been shared since childhood.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We'd [sing together] early in the morning and my father would have to come in and say: 'that's enough, your mother can't sleep'," she said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">She went on to perform <em>The Jelly Bean Blues</em>, accompanied by jazz band The Syncopators.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"This perhaps could be the hardest thing I've ever had to do," she said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Guy, Woodley, and fellow The Seekers bandmate Keith Protger each took to the stage to share their admiration for Durham.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"It's a real surreal experience for me, standing on this Hamer Hall stage without Judith," said Potger.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"We shared triumphs and adventures on this very platform.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"You're not really gone, because your picture is on my wall and your boundless spirit and love will be in my heart forever."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Woodley praised Durham for her “bravery and single-mindedness” as she continued to perform even while battling serious lung disease.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Her bravery and single-mindedness in overcoming the enormous physical obstacles that life threw at her has always been an inspiration to me," he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Quite often, the boys and I would hear her in her dressing room coughing her heart out a few minutes before a show and thinking to ourselves, 'there's no way she's going to sing tonight'.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Wrong."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Guy said the band hoped to celebrate their 60th anniversary at Hamer Hall as initially planned, before introducing Carry Me.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Here's our last song together," he said. </p>
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<p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Judith Durham Official (Facebook), Victorian Government</em></p>
