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The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
'Traditional but unconventional': Sussan Ley pays tribute to mum at funeral
Federal opposition leader Sussan Ley has told of how her mother Angela Braybrooks, as a psychiatric nurse, saved the life of a patient and made it "much better than before". The remarkable legacy was one of many recalled as the member for Farrer gave the eulogy for the 93 year-old who died on May 17, four days after her daughter became the first woman to lead the federal Liberal Party. Family and friends gathered at St Matthew's Anglican Church, where Mrs Braybrooks had been a devoted parishioner for decades, for the farewell conducted by Father Peter MacLeod-Miller. Among the mourners were former National Party leaders Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce and Liberal senators Anne Ruston and Michaelia Cash, who sat on a front bench of the nave. Albury MP Justin Clancy and Albury councillor and former mayor Kylie King also attended. Ms Ley said her mother's life, which included 61 years of wedlock to Edgar Braybrooks, who died at 103 in 2021, was "traditional but also unconventional". It included meeting Mr Braybrooks through a dating service and then following him to Nigeria, from where he proposed via telephone while working as a policeman. "A loving marriage to my father was at the centre of her world, but it did not completely define her," Ms Ley told the congregation. "Her training as a nurse, her attachment in later life to the Anglican faith, her love of birds and the stars, and her passion for helping those struggling with mental illness, also formed the person she became." English-born Mrs Braybrooks' professional skill was evident when she migrated to Australia in 1974 and nursed in mental health wards, becoming the psychiatric nurse in charge at a Canberra hospital, "a role she excelled at and loved". "Only a few months ago, I received an email from a woman who had been looked after by my mother, saying, 'I shall not ever forget the love, care and wisdom she showed'," Ms Ley said. "'The support saved my life. "'Not only that, gave my life back to me much better than before. "'Since little was known about mental illness then, and little to help families, your mother was sent from up above'." Mrs Braybrooks, growing up as an only child, had to cope with the turbulence of a father who "either did not speak or said horrible things". He had been a World War I soldier before becoming an Anglican vicar. "She would say that it took her half her life to get over her childhood," Ms Ley said. "She turned away from religion for many of her adult years until she realised, through training as a mental health nurse, that her father had clinical depression. "She understood that his experience, in the trenches of the Western Front, had encouraged him towards both a belief in God, but had also sparked his illness. "When she finally forgave him, she allowed herself to come back to the church, even studying for a diploma in theology." Mrs Braybrooks' religious fervour was to the fore in the service, which included an array of hymns, Bible readings and a prayer linked to explorer Sir Francis Drake. Granddaughter Georgina Ley, whose words were read to the funeral after she was unable to attend due to illness, told of her grandmother's temporal loves, which ranged from Lady Grey tea to cooking to just sitting quietly. "Granny always had a very full life," she said. "She was very good at sewing and embroidery, making everything from cushions and dresses, when we were little, to dolls and our library bags for school." Father MacLeod-Miller, described as Mrs Braybrooks' salvation and friend by Ms Ley, ended the funeral by saying the bells of St Matthew's, "which were also cast in England", would "not be tolling out of sadness, but pealing out of joy". He then joined Ms Ley in planting Winston Churchill daffodil bulbs in the church grounds at the relatively recent burial site of Mrs Braybrooks' cat Little Tree. A photo portrait of the pet and a snapshot of Father MacLeod-Miller and Mrs Braybrooks had sat on the coffin throughout the funeral. Federal opposition leader Sussan Ley has told of how her mother Angela Braybrooks, as a psychiatric nurse, saved the life of a patient and made it "much better than before". The remarkable legacy was one of many recalled as the member for Farrer gave the eulogy for the 93 year-old who died on May 17, four days after her daughter became the first woman to lead the federal Liberal Party. Family and friends gathered at St Matthew's Anglican Church, where Mrs Braybrooks had been a devoted parishioner for decades, for the farewell conducted by Father Peter MacLeod-Miller. Among the mourners were former National Party leaders Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce and Liberal senators Anne Ruston and Michaelia Cash, who sat on a front bench of the nave. Albury MP Justin Clancy and Albury councillor and former mayor Kylie King also attended. Ms Ley said her mother's life, which included 61 years of wedlock to Edgar Braybrooks, who died at 103 in 2021, was "traditional but also unconventional". It included meeting Mr Braybrooks through a dating service and then following him to Nigeria, from where he proposed via telephone while working as a policeman. "A loving marriage to my father was at the centre of her world, but it did not completely define her," Ms Ley told the congregation. "Her training as a nurse, her attachment in later life to the Anglican faith, her love of birds and the stars, and her passion for helping those struggling with mental illness, also formed the person she became." English-born Mrs Braybrooks' professional skill was evident when she migrated to Australia in 1974 and nursed in mental health wards, becoming the psychiatric nurse in charge at a Canberra hospital, "a role she excelled at and loved". "Only a few months ago, I received an email from a woman who had been looked after by my mother, saying, 'I shall not ever forget the love, care and wisdom she showed'," Ms Ley said. "'The support saved my life. "'Not only that, gave my life back to me much better than before. "'Since little was known about mental illness then, and little to help families, your mother was sent from up above'." Mrs Braybrooks, growing up as an only child, had to cope with the turbulence of a father who "either did not speak or said horrible things". He had been a World War I soldier before becoming an Anglican vicar. "She would say that it took her half her life to get over her childhood," Ms Ley said. "She turned away from religion for many of her adult years until she realised, through training as a mental health nurse, that her father had clinical depression. "She understood that his experience, in the trenches of the Western Front, had encouraged him towards both a belief in God, but had also sparked his illness. "When she finally forgave him, she allowed herself to come back to the church, even studying for a diploma in theology." Mrs Braybrooks' religious fervour was to the fore in the service, which included an array of hymns, Bible readings and a prayer linked to explorer Sir Francis Drake. Granddaughter Georgina Ley, whose words were read to the funeral after she was unable to attend due to illness, told of her grandmother's temporal loves, which ranged from Lady Grey tea to cooking to just sitting quietly. "Granny always had a very full life," she said. "She was very good at sewing and embroidery, making everything from cushions and dresses, when we were little, to dolls and our library bags for school." Father MacLeod-Miller, described as Mrs Braybrooks' salvation and friend by Ms Ley, ended the funeral by saying the bells of St Matthew's, "which were also cast in England", would "not be tolling out of sadness, but pealing out of joy". He then joined Ms Ley in planting Winston Churchill daffodil bulbs in the church grounds at the relatively recent burial site of Mrs Braybrooks' cat Little Tree. A photo portrait of the pet and a snapshot of Father MacLeod-Miller and Mrs Braybrooks had sat on the coffin throughout the funeral. Federal opposition leader Sussan Ley has told of how her mother Angela Braybrooks, as a psychiatric nurse, saved the life of a patient and made it "much better than before". The remarkable legacy was one of many recalled as the member for Farrer gave the eulogy for the 93 year-old who died on May 17, four days after her daughter became the first woman to lead the federal Liberal Party. Family and friends gathered at St Matthew's Anglican Church, where Mrs Braybrooks had been a devoted parishioner for decades, for the farewell conducted by Father Peter MacLeod-Miller. Among the mourners were former National Party leaders Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce and Liberal senators Anne Ruston and Michaelia Cash, who sat on a front bench of the nave. Albury MP Justin Clancy and Albury councillor and former mayor Kylie King also attended. Ms Ley said her mother's life, which included 61 years of wedlock to Edgar Braybrooks, who died at 103 in 2021, was "traditional but also unconventional". It included meeting Mr Braybrooks through a dating service and then following him to Nigeria, from where he proposed via telephone while working as a policeman. "A loving marriage to my father was at the centre of her world, but it did not completely define her," Ms Ley told the congregation. "Her training as a nurse, her attachment in later life to the Anglican faith, her love of birds and the stars, and her passion for helping those struggling with mental illness, also formed the person she became." English-born Mrs Braybrooks' professional skill was evident when she migrated to Australia in 1974 and nursed in mental health wards, becoming the psychiatric nurse in charge at a Canberra hospital, "a role she excelled at and loved". "Only a few months ago, I received an email from a woman who had been looked after by my mother, saying, 'I shall not ever forget the love, care and wisdom she showed'," Ms Ley said. "'The support saved my life. "'Not only that, gave my life back to me much better than before. "'Since little was known about mental illness then, and little to help families, your mother was sent from up above'." Mrs Braybrooks, growing up as an only child, had to cope with the turbulence of a father who "either did not speak or said horrible things". He had been a World War I soldier before becoming an Anglican vicar. "She would say that it took her half her life to get over her childhood," Ms Ley said. "She turned away from religion for many of her adult years until she realised, through training as a mental health nurse, that her father had clinical depression. "She understood that his experience, in the trenches of the Western Front, had encouraged him towards both a belief in God, but had also sparked his illness. "When she finally forgave him, she allowed herself to come back to the church, even studying for a diploma in theology." Mrs Braybrooks' religious fervour was to the fore in the service, which included an array of hymns, Bible readings and a prayer linked to explorer Sir Francis Drake. Granddaughter Georgina Ley, whose words were read to the funeral after she was unable to attend due to illness, told of her grandmother's temporal loves, which ranged from Lady Grey tea to cooking to just sitting quietly. "Granny always had a very full life," she said. "She was very good at sewing and embroidery, making everything from cushions and dresses, when we were little, to dolls and our library bags for school." Father MacLeod-Miller, described as Mrs Braybrooks' salvation and friend by Ms Ley, ended the funeral by saying the bells of St Matthew's, "which were also cast in England", would "not be tolling out of sadness, but pealing out of joy". He then joined Ms Ley in planting Winston Churchill daffodil bulbs in the church grounds at the relatively recent burial site of Mrs Braybrooks' cat Little Tree. A photo portrait of the pet and a snapshot of Father MacLeod-Miller and Mrs Braybrooks had sat on the coffin throughout the funeral. Federal opposition leader Sussan Ley has told of how her mother Angela Braybrooks, as a psychiatric nurse, saved the life of a patient and made it "much better than before". The remarkable legacy was one of many recalled as the member for Farrer gave the eulogy for the 93 year-old who died on May 17, four days after her daughter became the first woman to lead the federal Liberal Party. Family and friends gathered at St Matthew's Anglican Church, where Mrs Braybrooks had been a devoted parishioner for decades, for the farewell conducted by Father Peter MacLeod-Miller. Among the mourners were former National Party leaders Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce and Liberal senators Anne Ruston and Michaelia Cash, who sat on a front bench of the nave. Albury MP Justin Clancy and Albury councillor and former mayor Kylie King also attended. Ms Ley said her mother's life, which included 61 years of wedlock to Edgar Braybrooks, who died at 103 in 2021, was "traditional but also unconventional". It included meeting Mr Braybrooks through a dating service and then following him to Nigeria, from where he proposed via telephone while working as a policeman. "A loving marriage to my father was at the centre of her world, but it did not completely define her," Ms Ley told the congregation. "Her training as a nurse, her attachment in later life to the Anglican faith, her love of birds and the stars, and her passion for helping those struggling with mental illness, also formed the person she became." English-born Mrs Braybrooks' professional skill was evident when she migrated to Australia in 1974 and nursed in mental health wards, becoming the psychiatric nurse in charge at a Canberra hospital, "a role she excelled at and loved". "Only a few months ago, I received an email from a woman who had been looked after by my mother, saying, 'I shall not ever forget the love, care and wisdom she showed'," Ms Ley said. "'The support saved my life. "'Not only that, gave my life back to me much better than before. "'Since little was known about mental illness then, and little to help families, your mother was sent from up above'." Mrs Braybrooks, growing up as an only child, had to cope with the turbulence of a father who "either did not speak or said horrible things". He had been a World War I soldier before becoming an Anglican vicar. "She would say that it took her half her life to get over her childhood," Ms Ley said. "She turned away from religion for many of her adult years until she realised, through training as a mental health nurse, that her father had clinical depression. "She understood that his experience, in the trenches of the Western Front, had encouraged him towards both a belief in God, but had also sparked his illness. "When she finally forgave him, she allowed herself to come back to the church, even studying for a diploma in theology." Mrs Braybrooks' religious fervour was to the fore in the service, which included an array of hymns, Bible readings and a prayer linked to explorer Sir Francis Drake. Granddaughter Georgina Ley, whose words were read to the funeral after she was unable to attend due to illness, told of her grandmother's temporal loves, which ranged from Lady Grey tea to cooking to just sitting quietly. "Granny always had a very full life," she said. "She was very good at sewing and embroidery, making everything from cushions and dresses, when we were little, to dolls and our library bags for school." Father MacLeod-Miller, described as Mrs Braybrooks' salvation and friend by Ms Ley, ended the funeral by saying the bells of St Matthew's, "which were also cast in England", would "not be tolling out of sadness, but pealing out of joy". He then joined Ms Ley in planting Winston Churchill daffodil bulbs in the church grounds at the relatively recent burial site of Mrs Braybrooks' cat Little Tree. A photo portrait of the pet and a snapshot of Father MacLeod-Miller and Mrs Braybrooks had sat on the coffin throughout the funeral.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
From myth to music, the Goatman lives on
Young people in Lyttelton are forever forming bands. One such is a three-man outfit called Beware the Goatman, who are about to launch an album and are planning some publicity for it. I know all this because one of the members of Beware the Goatman sent me an email. It was well spelt, well punctuated and intriguing. He wanted to know whether, as a long-term resident of Lyttelton, I had any good stories about the Goatman. "What Goatman?" I replied. "The Goatman of Lyttelton." "I'm all ears," I said, whereupon the young man told me about a character that haunted the upper streets of Lyttelton seeking out children to terrify. Why, I wondered, had I not heard of this before? Later that day I went into the newsagent's where I found Paul the newsagent behind his counter and a middle-aged woman studying the greeting cards. If anyone has his finger on the pulse of Lyttelton it is Paul the newsagent. "Tell me about the Goatman," I said. "What Goatman?" said Paul. I was about to share the little information I had when the woman looked up from the greeting cards. "I'll tell you about the Goatman," she said. Some 30 years ago, when she was about 10, her best friend claimed to have been grabbed by the Goatman on Harman's Rd, but she'd struggled and managed to escape. The Goatman had been an adult male in a mask made from an actual goat's head. The woman spoke with conviction. I have since asked a dozen or more people. Generally the women were more forthcoming than the men, but no two versions of the Goatman story were the same. In essence, it seems that the idea of a Goatman, if not an actual Goatman, has been scaring the children of Lyttelton for decades. His dwelling varies, from an actual address on St David's St to the Anglican cemetery. His nature varies from an actual old man in a mask to a hairy horror monster. He knocks on windows and he hunts girls. By doing so he sends this small town, which has existed as Lyttelton for less than two centuries and as Ohinehou for fewer than five, spiralling back down time's tunnel to the dawn of human history. Goatmen go back. Ancient Greece had a Goatman. This was Pan, the pagan god of the wild and of flocks and, interestingly, of music. Pan had the legs, loins and horns of a goat. (And it seems that the name Pan derives from an even earlier god, identified in the proto-Indo-European language from which all Western languages evolved.) Rome had a Goatman, too, the satyr, built on the same lines as Pan. From him we get satyriasis, the disease — if that is the right word — of excessive and unbridled lust. But the supreme Goatman, the apotheosis of Goatmen, has to be the Christian Satan, invariably depicted with a goat's horns, eyes, skull, back legs and cloven hooves. So it's no surprise that goats fare poorly in the Bible. Matthew tells us that on the day of judgement the son of man (and there's an expression I've never understood) will come to separate the sheep from the goats, putting the sheep on his right side and the goats on his left. He will then welcome the docile and innocuous sheep into the kingdom of heaven, but he will fling the wilful goats into the pits of everlasting hell, which all seems a bit tough. What have goats done to deserve this? Well it seems they have been unruly. Goats are hard to restrain and contain. Unlike sheep, they do not follow each other and they are great escapers. They are also compulsive omnivores with a taste for laundry. But above all they love sex. The bucks go at it with a shameless vigour, fighting for mating rites, dowsing themselves in their own urine and leaping aboard whenever the opportunity presents itself. And they grin while doing so. And that is the point of Goatmen. They are unrestrained and they delight in their unrestraint. Pan grinned, the satyr grinned, the devil famously grins. They enjoy their sins. Goats represent our animal spirits, the side of our nature that the great religions seek to repress. But it won't be repressed. Regardless of disapproval the anarchic joyous id insists on bubbling up. Whether in distant Arcadia or darkest Lyttelton, the Goatman lives. And it's the Goatman that makes the young form bands. — Joe Bennett is a Lyttelton writer.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Archbishop Makgoba condemns Israel's conditions for aid to Gaza
Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba. Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers Israel's conditions for allowing life-giving aid to Gaza suggest 'a willingness to use starvation as a tool of ethnic cleansing', which would amount to a war crime, says Archbishop Thabo Makgoba. In a statement, Makgoba said the depths of the cruelty which the current Israeli administration is prepared to inflict on innocent civilians in Gaza is making it ever more difficult to find words to condemn it. 'Its refusal to allow life-giving supplies under conditions acceptable to experts in providing humanitarian aid suggests a willingness to use starvation as a tool of ethnic cleansing. This would amount to a war crime, and adds weight to the South African government's genocide case against the State of Israel at The Hague.' The archbishop said 'diplomacy seems to be reeling with ineffectiveness while Israel threatens to wipe out a whole nation.' He appealed for international pressure on Israel, adding: 'We pray especially that the United States will choose the right side of history, and bring a halt to Israel's aggression, which has now taken on levels which are vastly disproportionate to Hamas's heinous attack of October 2023.' Last week, the World Health Organisation warned that the health system was at breaking point as hostilities further intensified in Gaza. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'Israel's intensified military operations continue to threaten an already weakened health system, amidst worsening mass population displacement and acute shortages of food, water, medical supplies, fuel and shelter,' the WHO said. Four major hospitals in Gaza - Kamal Adwan Hospital, Indonesia Hospital, Hamad Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics, and European Gaza Hospital - have had to suspend medical services due to their proximity to hostilities or evacuation zones, and attacks. WHO has recorded 28 attacks on health care in Gaza during this period and 697 attacks since October 2023. 'Only 19 of Gaza Strip's 36 hospitals remain operational, including one hospital providing basic care for the remaining patients still inside the hospital, and are struggling under severe supply shortages, lack of health workers, persistent insecurity, and a surge of casualties, all while staff work in impossible conditions. Of the 19 hospitals, 12 provide a variety of health services, while the rest are only able to provide basic emergency care. At least 94% of all hospitals in the Gaza Strip are damaged or destroyed.' The increased hostilities and new evacuation orders issued across northern and southern Gaza last week threaten to push even more health facilities out of service, WHO said. 'Currently, across the Gaza Strip, only 2000 hospital beds remain available, for a population of over 2 million people, grossly insufficient to meet the current needs. Of these, at least 40 beds are at risk of being lost as they are in hospitals within newly declared evacuation zones, while an additional 850 could be lost if conditions deteriorate at facilities near these zones.'
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Anglican Diocese of N.S. and P.E.I. adopts pledge banning inappropriate use of NDAs
The head of a Canadian advocacy group says the Anglican Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island's passing of a resolution not to misuse non-disclosure agreements marks an important step forward. Julie Macfarlane of Can't Buy My Silence Canada says a member of the diocese told her the membership unanimously passed a resolution to not use NDAs unless requested by a complainant in cases involving sexual harassment, misconduct or abuse, discrimination, retaliation or bullying. She says the resolution was passed Saturday during the diocese's weekend of meetings, which is called a synod. Macfarlane says the movement among Christian organizations to ban the inappropriate use of NDAs is particularly impactful given that non-disclosure agreements have been used to silence victims of abuse in the church. Macfarlane, who is a survivor of sexual abuse by an Anglican minister, says she hopes the regional Anglican diocese is the first of many religious organizations in Canada to commit to the non-disclosure agreement pledge. The diocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement issued by Can't Buy My Silence on Friday, diocese member Cynthia Pilichos said she would be speaking in favour of adopting the ban on inappropriate NDA use at the synod because the pledge is in line with the organization's commitments to ensure justice, respect and dignity for all. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Anglican Diocese of N.S. and P.E.I. adopts pledge banning inappropriate use of NDAs
The head of a Canadian advocacy group says the Anglican Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island's passing of a resolution not to misuse non-disclosure agreements marks an important step forward. Julie Macfarlane of Can't Buy My Silence Canada says a member of the diocese told her the membership unanimously passed a resolution to not use NDAs unless requested by a complainant in cases involving sexual harassment, misconduct or abuse, discrimination, retaliation or bullying. She says the resolution was passed Saturday during the diocese's weekend of meetings, which is called a synod. Macfarlane says the movement among Christian organizations to ban the inappropriate use of NDAs is particularly impactful given that non-disclosure agreements have been used to silence victims of abuse in the church. Macfarlane, who is a survivor of sexual abuse by an Anglican minister, says she hopes the regional Anglican diocese is the first of many religious organizations in Canada to commit to the non-disclosure agreement pledge. The diocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. In a statement issued by Can't Buy My Silence on Friday, diocese member Cynthia Pilichos said she would be speaking in favour of adopting the ban on inappropriate NDA use at the synod because the pledge is in line with the organization's commitments to ensure justice, respect and dignity for all. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2025.
