Last Friday, one of my brother priests presided over the funeral ceremonies for his youngest brother who had died from drowning after an overdose; the man in question had struggled with mental illness and alcoholism for most of his adult life. This time last year, my niece was rescued from a suicide attempt through a very fortunate set of circumstances. Before Christmas, many of us here were present at a vigil, organized by Amnesty International,  in front of Parliament House in support of Van Nguyen who was about to be hanged in Singapore. Each of those three people powerfully demonstrate how precious is the gift of human life.

    Just now, we have heard the names and circumstances of 170 people who have died as a result of illicit drug use. This is not a mere statistic. These are 170 human beings. Each one is someone’s son or daughter, a sister or a brother, a spouse, a partner or a lover; they may be an aunt or uncle. They are surely the dear friends of many, including some of us here today.

    We are taking part in a Remembrance Ceremony. We are doing what we do on Anzac Day and other similar occasions. Yesterday, here in Canberra there was a ceremony to remember 353 people who drowned when their boat, known as the SIEV X, sank in shocking circumstances. It can be argued that these 353 died unnecessarily and as a result of government policies.

    Today, we are remembering and in doing so we are honouring. We are recognizing the dignity, the worth and the achievements of each one who has died so prematurely. We are also acknowledging the struggles of each one and the tragic circumstances which led to their death. We hold up each life as precious and unique.

    In remembering, we are also learning. We are learning from people’s  experiences, good and bad, in the hope that their life and death will not have been in vain.

    We gather today with a sense of commitment. All of us here are truly committed to doing everything we can to see that no more lives are lost. We recognize that there are different roles that we have to play.  We are in awe of all that is done by Families and Friends of Drug Law Reform. We see what can be done by legislators, the police, the legal profession, religious and community groups, the media, supportive friends and many others. But most of all, I trust that all of you here recognize the power you have as advocates. Telling the stories as you do, make you most effective advocates in seeing that community attitudes are changed in a way that will lead to the saving of human lives.

    One of the messages read this afternoon came from Great Britain. It told us that where there is life there is hope. I remember once a union leader addressing his constituents. He said to them rather controversially “Don’t be a hopeless lot.”  He went on to explain that we should never give up. There is always a future and each of us is empowered in one way or another to shape that future for the better. That surely applies to each of us here. We should never lose sight of our ability to raise community awareness, and to effect changes which will make ours a more just and compassionate society.

    Many of you here today are grieving for family members or friends. Those deaths may have been recent or some time ago, but whenever they took place the memories and the pain are still very vivid. One small piece of advice I offer is to be gentle with yourself.

It is natural and so easy to go through the “if onlys”

If only I had recognized the warning signs.

If only I had listened.

If only I had understood what was happening.

If only I had been more patient.

If only I had kept the door open.

If only I had been more loving.

Maybe, if only I had been firmer, had taken a tougher stand.

    But don’t lose sight of the fact that we are all human. The wisdom of  hindsight is a luxury which we don’t have when faced with decisions which may have long-standing consequences. But today we can tell our deceased loved ones, we are sorry for how we failed or how they failed or how society may have failed them. We can tell them how dearly we love them. We can tell them how proud we are to be honouring their memory in this fashion.

    Today, we are in a sacred space, sharing precious memories. I ask God to bless each one of us and those we remember with deep affection, confident that all of us and our world will be better for what we have done together.

(Bishop) Pat Power

Weston Park, Yarralumla ACT

16 October 2006