On the evening of Sunday the 3rd of September, a friend and activist, Zoe Hulme-Peake, died at Possum Hall.
Thankyou to all our neighbours and friends who helped in the chrisis, The emergency services and RFS who came. Most importantly everyone who was here to share the most heartbreaking day I have ever had.
The wattles were in bloom, the river was cold, and the skies were clear during her stay. Zoe passed midway through performing an original song to a group of friends, during an impromptu talent show.
In June, Zoe was a driving force in a week of political action, which was the culmination of her organising work this year, and involved lots of people. Zoe was always driven by adventure and discovery. She was a dedicated activist and hence sacrificed so much of her time to the work of resistance.
Zoe had arrived at Possum Hall several days before her passing, on the back of a solo travelling adventure in the Northern Territory. After that trip she was full of life, full of ideas and shared stories of experiences that impacted her deeply whilst travelling. It’s quite remarkable that in Zoe’s last few weeks she found a new deep sense of freedom and aliveness.
On the Sunday, Zoe spent her last day full of joy. She swam in the cold waters of the Ellenborough Falls, she sang her songs, and we danced in silly costumes as the sun went down with friends. She continued to share her gratitude by making us all a big pasta dinner that night.
In the evening we hosted our own community talent show, Full of songs, performances, magic tricks, jokes and poetry. We celebrated each other. Our stage was a red platform, behind which stood a 4m high A for anarchy, made from sticks and branches collected around the property, and wrapped in bright fairy lights. For a last minute build, it was pretty spectacular.
She sung about Solidarity, about working together amidst all the crises we face. Resistance for Zoe was never dry, it brimmed with creativity and drama. Her last words were about resisting injustice. the last energy she put into the world was one of inspiration.
Zoe was surrounded by love in her last moments and we fought hard for her. The night of her death was powerful, it was full of music, politics and friendship. Amongst her friends we had three nurses who after quickly accesing her slowing breathing and pulse rate started CPR. The Ambulance came in 55 minutes, and although the defibulator was tried it was unsucessfull and CPR was continued untill the Helicopter paramedics arrived and also defibrilated but they also could not help.
We remained by her side until dawn, embracing each other and saying our goodbyes Those who were there, and hundreds of people across the continent who knew and were inspired by Zoe, have been holding each other as a strong community since her passing.
Over the past few weeks we have had more family and friends of Zoe coming to share this special space, and more will be coming to stay this weekend.