Maureen Van Der Giessen
- 52 years old
- Female
- Born Sep 22, 1957
- Died Feb 23, 2010
- Australia
This is a Tribute for family and friends to gather, share their memories, and celebrate the life of our beloved friend Maureen. Please feel free to leave your memories and photos
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About
Van Der Giessen, Maureen
VAN DER GIESSEN, Maureen
Ann. Tuesday, February 23,
2010. Much loved mother to
Arlo, partner of Peter, sister to
Jo and Barb, aunt to Fiona,
Rhiannon, Jean and Dylan.
MAUREEN'S family and friends
are invited to join Peter and
Arlo at the Balmain Rowing
Club Hall, White Street, Balmain
on Wednesday (March 3, 2010),
at 12.30 pm. In lieu of flowers
please consider a donation to
Radiation Oncology In
Memoriam at Lifehouse at
R.P.A.
This Tribute is sponsored
in the name of Peter & Arlo
expiration date: 2012-03-04
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1976-the 1st time I met Maureen (from Bernie)
Peter and Arlo Apr 29, 2010
I still remember the first time I met Maureen. We had been invited to Peter's place at Edgar Street, Chatswood for a lunch time BBQ. Of course we were very curious to see and meet, Maureen, Peter's new girlfriend.
So there we were, Kester, myself and Peter sitting in the back garden awaiting Maureen, 10-15 minutes passed and we just couldn't wait any longer so we went inside looking for her.
We found her in the bedroom sitting on the floor brushing her long blonde beautiful hair. "I'm nearly ready" she said.
Outside we heard how Maureen and Peter had met and how she had arrived in Sydney to be with Peter, afternoon slipped into evening and so we got to know and love Maureen, Peter's new girlfriend.
Bernie
Sewing Buddy
Leonie Crawshaw Mar 13, 2010
We liked this lovely girl immediately.
Not long after she arrived Peter left for another overseas working tour, so we did lots of visiting, tucked her under our collective wings and managed to entice her out with us and we all became firm friends.
Coming alone to a new city with new people must have been daunting, but, shy as was, Maureen had a quiet but steely determination to share her life with Peter.
A few years later, in our early twenties, Maureen and I decided over a cup of tea that we should open a dressmaking/clothing shop. Maureen had studied and excelled in design and pattern making at RMIT and I had always loved sewing. Three months later after loads of hard work, organising, sewing and lots of help from friends we opened our shop called Penguin Orchard in Crows Nest.
What we really loved, apart from sewing new creations, were the shopping expeditions to our favourite fabric outlets, coming out full of excitement with bag fulls of fabrics to create with.
We even scored a spot on tele when our friend Carryl organised a little doco on us on Good Morning Australia. We also featured in our local paper and had a spread in a fashion magazine called Sheila.
I remember one funny night we were invited to some fashion 'do' full of the who's who of fashion. We weren't there long before we looked at each other and cracked up laughing and said 'what are we doing here!"
We weren't cut out for the fashion scene. We just loved sewing and creating. We certainly didn't make a fortune, but we did have fun and we gained valuable life experience.
Maureen had a truly amazing and broad creative talent and it shone through in our shop and in all her artworks and creations throughout her life.
She taught me so much and I hold myself fortunate to have been able to spend that time with her and to have known her as a friend.
I will always remember her shy smile and her infectious giggly laugh.
My heart goes out to Peter and Arlo for the sorrow of losing Maureen and to Maureen for losing the life she had with them that she so dearly cherished.
The world has lost a very special person.
Leonie.
A true and fun friend
Annette Mar 06, 2010
A lasting memory comes from my 40th in 2003. I remember watching Skip & Maureen whilst they danced together that night and seeing her happy, smiling face Maureen told me later how happy she had been dancing with Skip to “Alone with You” by the Sunny Boys. My 40th photos are in print and somewhere in storage so I’ve popped a photo on here of Maureen, Skip and some friends at our place early last year.
I dropped a tear in the ocean. The day you find it is the day I will stop missing you (Author Unknown)
Love to Skip & Arlo from Annette, Craig and Conlan xxx
A poem for Maureen
Gordon and Anna Mar 04, 2010
Gospel of St. Thomas
In Your Sight
A doona cover: each patterned patch holding stitches of every dream in the fabric of her life.
A collage: torn bits of orphaned paper, scattered marks of paint, stray pencil scratchings, all random thoughts from somewhere within her restless mind.
Figured drawings of a childless mother: landscapes populated by floating forms yearning to be born. (What luck - one of them would become splendidly real!)
Those perspex boxes: what fabulous, mysterious treasures hang there? Wispy trails of textiled ephemera, patches of wax, string like stiches in a wound, lozenges of longing or love?
Ultimately the jewellery: colour, grace, shimmer; therein a level of acceptance, the kindest of gifts: her hands reaching towards another’s body.
Like all artists she is saying
“Here, take it all! the good bits and the bad. It’s just me. I want you to see me forever.”
Written with love by Gordon Waters
For Maureen Van der Giessen
1957-2010