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 joined 22 others embarking on three months of study, followed by three months of putting everything we learned into practice. This was the start of my first, and most enduring, friendship in Australia.

Over the years our lives have evolved. Through it all Michele's presence has endured. She’s been an anchor linking so many different chapters in my life, including travelling through Eastern Europe after the Berlin Wall came down, me permanently relocating to Australia, my coming out and my 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 to a morning in late-November 1990. I'd been backpacking in Europe where I'd bid Michele and other YWAM students a fond farewell four months earlier. Michele greeted me at Sydney Airport as I disembarked an overnight flight from Singapore on 20 November. 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. 

Michele's generous welcome gave me a life-changing head-start. She also introduced me to a circle of North Shore friends including a woman who offered me my first full-time Australian job - a contract role with IBM. Sadly IBM made me redundant in August 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 Michele and I shared many milestone moments, including the purchase of Michelle’s first home and the birth of her son, Zeke. I still recall visiting Hong Kong and seeing the joy in her eyes as she shared news that she’d met the man of her dreams, David Wlodarski. She was keen for me to meet him as well.

As I recall, it was St Patrick's Day. David, was out with other expats, enjoying a raucous afternoon at a popular bar - not quite the first impression Michele had anticipated for poor David. However, a few 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.

Sadly, Michele passed away at the Mount Druitt Palliative Care Unit on 17 February. She’s 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, so 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.