This is historically one of the first photos taken at the first planting. The photo was taken by Jo Gillis, who came from Adelaide to be present at the planting. The idea came from Mannie De Saxe's first long-time care - Jo's brother Jon Eylward, who died on 17 November 1992 aged 36. The photo was taken on 15 May 1994.
Sydney Park, a newly developing park, belonging to South Sydney City Council, and who have a nursery at the southern end, and given us permission to plant trees in a specific area where there are no trees at present. The ground was prepared and the trees provided, at no cost to us, by the Nursery. Jo Gillis is planting a tree in memory of her brother Jon Eylward.
Friends who came to plant trees, and the newly planted area which we filled with about 700 small saplings and recorded many names of people who had died of AIDS.
Arriving early to prepare for the day ahead - Council Nursery had already prepared the area and provided the young saplings for the day's plantings.
Our second planting, and the weather was fantastic - warm and clear -which was very encouraging. The crowd was not as large as at the first planting, but we estimate we probably had baout 70 to 80 people coning and going during the day. We were there from 10am to 5pm and probably planted between 400 and 500 trees.
People ask where to plant trees and also how to plant them, so we show them where and how. In the middle of the day, members of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence (OPI) who have been offering us support since our first planting, do a "Blessing of the Trees", and, as Mannie is an honorary Rabbi of the Order, he helps with the Blessing.
Members of OPI plant trees as well as provide the Tree Blessing.
When ACT UP collapsed
Photos by Ken Lovett/Mannie De Saxe
This planting had a rather sad and unfortunate history. South Sydney City Council allocated this area, next to the Old Brickworks, as our planting site for the day. We were provided with mainly bottlebrushes and a few other Australian natives and had a most successful day. The trees grew well, and very few died, so it seemed a good achievement. However, a few years later without consulting us or even asking or telling us, Council decided the area was to be a car park, and this planting site was totally destroyed and paved over for the car park.
The photos show that the weather was perfect for the 6th SPAIDS planting with many people taking advantage of the weather to plant trees to commemorate friends, family, loved ones, community activists, and the trees were blessed by Sisters of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence.
At the end of our planting day we visited the site of our 3rd planting and found the young trees doing very well. This made it all the more distressing when South Sydney City Council later demolished this site and replaced it with a car park. SPAIDS was not consulted and we were very upset when we found out. Not only was a memorial area gone, but some of those having been commemorated here had even had ashes planted under trees. When we told the people involved, they were, rightly, devastated!
Another perfect weather day! Sisters of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence make preparations and then sing the song which is the "Blessing of the Trees". This song was arranged by Mother Abyss of the OPI, who conducted the ceremony.
Early in 1998 we learned that South Sydney City Council was to erect signage demarcating the AIDS Groves, so we went to the Park to see the signs, and saw them lying on the ground, ready to be erected. A few weeks later the temporary signs were in place, and this is what they looked like:
----------and this is how the Groves looked at the time:
A mild and pleasant day, with some clouds which looked threatening, but didn't turn into anything. A good turnout with people coming in large groups. 5 members of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence came to do the official "Blessing of the Trees". We planted more than 600 trees, and had one of our most successful days so far.
What a terrible day this was - the weather was appalling, with heavy, soaking rain,and cold as well! Mud and slush prevailed all day. We don't think more than 10 people came the whole day. The planting area we had was a very bad one, mostly rock, rubble, bricks, concrete, dreadful soil. Despite the weather we planted about 150 trees, so the day was not totally wasted. We have had one or two bad days, weather-wise, but this has been the worst so far!
There were clouds early on, but they cleared later. No wind early, but after 1pm it became colder and windier - but no rain!! We were allocated our first planting area and surrounds to do back-planting. We had a very small turnout, but managed to plant over 200 trees.
Our third planting area has been all dug up, and the whole area is being redone as a car park, so all those trees have gone, including those which had ashes buried beneath them!
Arbor Day and Local Government Week. Early morning sunshine gave way to clouds. It started blowing icily, and raining. This continued on and off all morning till about 1pm when the clouds diminished somewhat and the sun came out, and no more rain for the rest of the day!
We estimate that between 30 and 40 people came, the afternoon went well after the morning rain, and we planted 300 to 400 trees. All in all, a satisfactory day after a slow beginning.
Earth Alive By Diversity Month. The weather started well, but became overcast and miserable. Rain early on plus wind and the weather was a disaster! At lunch time it cleared and the afternoon was lovely, but very few people came and we were very disappointed. So we didn't manage to plant many trees - one of our worst days yet!
The day was bright and clear but very windy and quite cold. We didn't expect too many people because today was the reconcilation march across Sydney Harbour Bridge, and we were sorry that we were unable to go because Council had arranged a planting day at Sydney Park and we had to be there. This was the day that we took a replacement jacaranda tree to plant for the person whose jacaranda tree had disappeared when Coucnil took over the 3rd planting site and turned it into a car park!! In the end we had about 15 people, some of whom came after the Bridge Walk. A very windy day and getting colder all the time. We planted about 200 trees which was quite good considering our reduced numbers. We received a phone-call from Moss Vale to tell us that it was snowing in Mittagong, so that's why it became so cold!."SORRY" was written in the sky while we were at the Park.
The day dawned bright and clear, then clouds gathered and we feared the worst! However, as luck had it, the day got better and better, and also quite warm. We were well looked after by Council, with our tent, food, trees, everything. The turnout was poor - in the end just over 20, but in the last half hour another 10 people arrived. We were suppiled with 400 trees - all were planted - another 100 were brought and got planted, so the day ended quite well.
Bright and suppy early in the day, but cloudsstarted building up and it looked like rain. A slow start to the day with not many people - but then it picked up and we ended up with about 35. Council didn't give us tent coverage, but fortunately it didn't rain. However, a wind sprang up early in the afternoon raising the "chill factor" somewhat! Planted between 300 and 400 trees. When we packed up just after 3pm it looked as if rain was on the way, but it didn't affect the day, so we were lucky.
This was the day on which the plaque commemorating the dedication of the Reflection Area was unveiled and our 21st planting took place. The day's ceremonies were rounded off by a blessing of the Reflection Area by Sisters of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence (OPI).
Mannie thanking the OPI for their blessings, to South Sydney City Council for providing us with the Reflection Area, and to all who helped make the day the success it was.
Ken and Mannie enjoying the success of their negotiations with the Council to provide SPAIDS with a Reflection Area - a meeting place for rest and contemplation and remembering.
The above 4 photos show the SPAIDS Reflection Area one year after it was established
Interview (by Uma Kali Shakti of Gaywaves) of Mannie talking about SPAIDS and the 2003 plantings.
Temporary signage still in place in 2003
The Reflection Area in 2003
Part of the SPAIDS Groves looking down from the hill above the Reflection Area
This cake was made by two of our long-time supporters and helpers, Fiona and Rebecca, to celebrate our 30th planting on 25 July 2004.
SPAIDS 30 was a beautiful day, and the turnout to plant trees in the Groves was large as befitted our 30th planting! Sitting under the tent in the top right-hand photo was Marie Fisher, who died in November 2008, seen talking to Fiona, one of the cake-makers shown above.
Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, visits the 31st SPAIDS planting to commemorate those she has known and helped, befriended, and worked with, who have died of AIDS. Clover was involved with people living with HIV/AIDS from the time she was elected to the NSW State Parliament as the member for Bligh, and also as Lord Mayor of Sydney City Council.
Ken Lovett works with Clover as she plants a commemorative tree, and then Roy Bishop and Ken Lovett stand by as Clover writes names and messages in the SPAIDS book.
We had perfect weather for the planting on this Sunday, and we had a good turnout of people who planted about 300 trees.
The above 5 photos were taken by Ken Lovett on 30 July 2008
Interview with Doug Pollard - Freshly Doug on Joy Radio about Fairfield AIDS Memorial Garden
The interview also includes information about the SPAIDS plantings, and the second half discusses the federal government's homophobia in relation to same-sex relationships issues.
Sydney on Sunday 2 August 2009 sparkled with a beautiful spring morning. The sun shone, there was no wind, and the morning augured well for the whole of the tree-planting day.
When we arrived at the Park at 10am the Parks people had already set up our tent, table and chairs and provided planting equipment, gloves, water and small trees laid out where the Sydney City Council wanted us to back-plant areas where trees have died over the years. SPAIDS has been planting for 15 years and the Council has been busy resurrecting the Park for about 20 years from its previous incarnations as a Brickworks and later a garbage dump. It is quite incredible to see what has grown there and how the Park has been developed when one remembers how barren it was when we started in 1994 and how full of rubble and other garbage pollutants were the areas where we did our first plantings.
Now, 15 years later, the Park has some wetlands with ducks and many other native water birds coming to places where no birds were seen or heard.
With the perfect weather and the Council providing us with a barbecue at about midday, we had between 60 and 70 visitors during the day to plant trees, and by the end of the day about 300 trees had been planted. Sisters of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence continued their tradition of many years by blessing the trees and commemorating those we wish to remember by the plantings in the Groves. Here is the Blessing, delivered this year by Sister Mary Mary Quite Contrary:
WELCOME to all of you who here today in this glorious spring weather. Thank you for joining Mannie & Ken in this Memorial Project.
Firstly, let us INTRODUCE ourselves - I am Sister Mary Mary Quite Contrary and ....... [repeat all round for the other members of the OPI who were present]
I'm sure you all know by now that when we mention the Holy Dingo [APHF] you should respond by calling out “all praise her feralness”. Try it now “Holy Dingo” {wait for response}.
We thank the HD {All Praise Her Feralness} for pissing down her blessings on this place to soften the ground, and also for having a sleep in this morning so we can do some planting.
As you all know, these groves are a living reminder to us that those who have passed away from us, and are not forgotten by us. They also remind us - and more importantly others in the community - that HIV/AIDS is still around and the safe sex message must not go un-heeded. Even though he has left it is still relevant to say 'the pope is wrong - put a condom on'.
We ask the HD {All Praise Her Feralness} to cast her blessings on you for helping us plant these trees and maintain the groves. And continuing to support the efforts of Mannie & Ken.
Not only do they provide us a quiet place for reflection and recreation, they also seem to provide a place for putting the safe sex message into practice (judging by our annual rubber harvest). It is a wonderful transformation from industrial wasteland to urban forest. And it is good to see that it is being used in many ways by many people.
{with incest & sprinkling by water}
* We cast our blessings upon Mannie & Ken for their tireless work. May they have strength to continue for many more trips to the dubious climate of Sydney.May the blessings of the HD {All Praise Her Feralness} be showered on you all.
(End of Blessing)
Mannie responded by thanking the OPI and the friends, families, lovers and others present for commemoration by planting trees in the SPAIDS Groves. (End of thanks)
We know that some of the saplings will die, but we also know that many will survive and add to the beauty of the Groves as they look today. We also know that the numbers of people who have died from AIDS has dropped dramatically in the last 10 years, so the numbers commemorated in our Remembrance Book are significantly less than in those early years. We hope the numbers dying from HIV/AIDS will diminish altogether in the years to come, and the Groves will be there to remember them all over time.
We had a visit from the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore MP and she planted a few trees to remember those friends of hers in the gay community who had died over the years from AIDS.
Photo by Roy Bishop
As Sydney and San Francisco are sister cities we feel related to the National AIDS Memorial Garden in Golden Gate Park because it helped to inspire our Groves and assist with negotiations with Council all those many years ago to create an AIDS Memorial Grove in Sydney.
One of our many interstate visitors this year was a special friend from Adelaide, South Australia. When I became an AIDS carer in 1992 one of my first long-term cares was this person’s brother, and we became friends from then on. For Sunday’s planting day she brought with her a plaque specially made for us to place at the foot of the tree she planted to remember her brother who died in 1992, and who was the inspiration for our AIDS groves to remember friends and people we had cared for who died so young and in such large numbers in the worst years of the epidemic in Australia. We had a memorial ceremony after the plaque had been put in position.
Photos of the plaque and our friend are attached. There are also photos of the Lord Mayor at work and others showing where many of the young trees were planted on the day.
Our Reflection Area continues to be our focal point, and we are pleased that the Council has seen fit to continue to signpost the Groves.
THE DAY THAT WASN'T! WE WERE INFORMED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO SPAIDS PLANTING ON 1 AUGUST 2010 AS THE PARK WAS FULLY PLANTED. HOWEVER, PLANETARK PREVAILED AND THE PARK PROVIDED A COMMUNITY DAY, BUT NOT FOR THE SPAIDS AREA!
We were not without friends who visited the park and used the Reflection Area for the purpose for which it was intended!
The outcome for us was this lovely photo of art work by Lenore Bassan of the Reflection Area
| Photos
of the Groves |