The Trustees of the Central Otago District Arts Trust (CODAT) wish to record the occurrence of an event we all dreaded and which most of you all already know about.
The passing of Brian Turner affects us with a great sense of loss and even though this represents a release for Brian from a state which he would never have dreamt that he would have fallen into, nonetheless we feel this deeply, more deeply than most of us will be able to express. The sense of pain and disquiet we feel was succinctly expressed by another famous South Island New Zealand poet, Charles Brasch who started his poem "Islands" with these words:
"Always in these islands meeting and parting shake us…"
and so it is that we are badly shaken by Brian's demise. For those who live in Central Otago this is especially meaningful and poignant as we have ready access to his words, just as previously we had ready access to his unending willingness to meet people, to champion the causes of the environment, including the rivers, mountains and vast stretches of tussock land. You only have to turn to his poem "Place" to get a sense of how deeply this land affected him and how he strove to pass that affection and impact on, to all of us.
We have lost a great supporter, thinker, environmental philosopher, poet and competitor. Those of us who knew him personally have lost a dear friend who was never judgmental and always listened to others rather than let his own voice be heard. This is especially significant because his strong, but gentle, voice imparted so much wisdom and so much knowledge of the human condition in such a straightforward manner it was as though we were listening to a prophet. We will miss him and try to find ways to commemorate him, now and in the future.
Most people in this situation would say “rest in peace Brian”, some of us think that probably he is wandering the mountains and plains, fording the rivers, or riding his bike with a newfound lightness and strength and so we wish him power and respite and we wish solitude and great peace for his family and friends.
We do not need to say anything to you about the importance of his life to NZ, Central Otago, poetry, literature in general, conservation, fishing, cycling, cricket, golf, mountaineering, hockey, fair play or his elemental human kindness, but when we stop to think about this we will realise how much we have lost. But in the end, for him death must be considered a sweet grace for a man who may no longer physically roam our land, rivers or mountains. But for us the loss is going to reverberate for a very long time and many of us will always see Brian fishing and so using his words, because there can be few better ways to describe him ....
I took my rod and my heart
to the rivers side
and cast and cast
while the water
ran purple and gold
In the quickening dusk,
and the sedges,
fleeing the river
were like ash
at my face and throat
and all the world
seemed to be timeless.
"Elegy in the Clutha Valley" - BT
Penned by Alan Coull, CODAT Trustee, and friend.
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