Farewell Michele

I met Michele Olsen on 3 February 1990. We both arrived at the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) outreach centre in Goulburn on a Saturday afternoon. We were joining 22 others embarking on three months of study, followed by another three months of putting our skills into practice. We were filled with excitement for the journey ahead. This was the start of my first, and most enduring, friendship in Australia.

Over the years our lives evolved. However, Michele's presence in my life has endured. It's been an anchor linking so many different chapters in my life, including a tour through Eastern Europe shortly after the Berlin Wall came down, my permanent relocation to Australia, my coming out and subsequent relationship with Garry. Over the years Michele relocated to Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Egypt and the USA, while Garry and I moved to Europe. We all eventually returned to Sydney to live.

The genesis of everything I've achieved in Australia can be traced back to a single morning in late-November 1990. I'd just spent four months backpacking in Europe where I'd bid Michele and other YWAM students a fond farewell months earlier. Michele greeted me at Sydney Airport as I landed on an overnight flight from Singapore. She'd heard I was returning to Australia and decided to meet me upon arrival. 

At the time, I'd decided to spend the Summer in Sydney clearing a credit card debt I’d clocked up in Europe. My card was denominated in New Zealand dollars. Therefore, I'd clear it sooner by earning Australian dollars, worth at least 20 per cent more. I still recall sitting on the plane thinking, “before today is done I have to find a place to stay, feed myself and find work.” To my surprise, Michele had already arranged temporary accommodation in Penshurst, scheduled a haircut and organised an evening meal with friends. 

Hence Michele's generous welcome was a life-changing headstart. She also introduced me to a circle of North Shore friends through whom I met the woman who offered me my first full-time job in Australia - a contract role with IBM. Sadly IBM made me redundant in April 1991. However, my brief stint there secured my next career move as a junior IT industry analyst. This industry experience then carried me into the technology public relations sector, where I rose through the ranks of two companies ultimately becoming the Chief Operating Officer of a global enterprise. 

However, despite the passage of time we've continued to share many special moments, including the first home Michele bought and the birth of her son, Zeke. I still recall visiting Hong Kong and seeing the joy in her eyes as she shared the news that she’d finally met the man of her dreams, David Wlodarski. She was keen for me to meet him while I was in town.

As I recall, it was St Patrick's Day. David, was out with other expats, enjoying a ruckus afternoon at a popular bar - not quite the first impression Michele had anticipated for poor David. However, three years later I attended their wedding in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Since then we've all hung out in Hong Kong, New Orleans and Sydney. Above is them in Hong Kong around the time I first met David.

Sadly, Michele passed away at the Mount Druitt Palliative Care Unit on 17 February. She’d been battling ovarian cancer on and off for many years. I was privileged to be at her bedside, holding her hand as she took her last breath. I never imagined our friendship would end, or that I'd be by her side in those final moments. Michele's funeral was held on Tuesday. We've been exhibiting at the Sydney Gift Fair at Homebush all this week. As a result, Garry took my place in the booth so that I could attend the service. It was a moving farewell to a wonderful woman.

It has been, and always will be, an absolute pleasure and privilege knowing and loving you, Michele. Your warmth, generosity, and unflappable goodwill were legendary, often without equal. You've been an awe-inspiring role model for me and many others. I am forever grateful to have met you. May God bless you, David and Zeke, now and forever more.