The last time I visited Grassy Head was for my friend Mellie's funeral last June. We were friends from Spaghetti Circus and Mellie committed suicide after a particularly horrific biopolar episode. Grassy Head was imbued with memories of that very sad day and it seemed surreal coming back here again, especially as the whole place was overrun by thousands of Seventh Day Adventists. I must say the Christian youth looked particularly healthy and happy. I didn't see any pimples, which was strange for teenagers. Maybe praying does help after all.
Anyway, I went and sat on Mellie's bench where there was a plaque in her honour and also one for her sister Tamara who had also committed suicide years earlier. I wrote an obituary for the local paper, here's a bit from it.
My own personal memory of Mellie is seeing her high on the trapeze or swinging on the cloud swing at Spaghetti Circus in Mullumbimby. Aerials reflected her free spirited nature and being up high suited her down to the ground. She showed little fear and every time she mastered a new trick, her mouth would open wide and she’d let out a howl of laughter that would reverberate around the shed. Mellie was well known for huge warm hugs that would engulf you and make you feel good about life. I always also looked forward to a Mellie hug, as to me she had the smell of freshly baked biscuits. It seemed her essential essence was just so sweet that it seeped out of her.
It was sad remembering that such a loving, generous, kooky spirit such as Mellie was no longer with us and I think of her dying as a tragic waste of gorgeous soul but her untimely death was also a timely reminder that you never know what life will bring to you or when your time is up. I did wonder if all those Seventh Day Adventist kids sat on that bench overlooking the sea and wondered who these sisters were and how they died? Or did they just look out over the ocean and thank Jesus for their clear skin? Who knows? RIP Mellie, you're missed but never forgotten.
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