Streaming of Funeral Service
After watching the service online, if you can leave a guest message to let the family know you have joined into the service, that would be greatly appreciated.
This service will have a password applied once edited, you will then need to contact the family for the password to access.
Following the service, the footage will be posted and you can watch at a later time if you were unable to watch at the time of the service. Please note, footage will only be available for 1 year from the time of the service.
Dear Robyn and Sue. The service was a wonderful dedication to your dad’s life. Thankyou for sharing the service. His passion for Wyperfeld will remain with many of us.
Liz Preston and Jarrod Mairs
Thanks Geoff for all the wonderful walks and snippets of history along the way..and for introducing me to Victoria. when you volunteered me to work with you at what you called The Red Gum Triangle in Albert Park I had no idea the area would come to mean so much to us. Just another legacy for you to leave behind. I miss you. Marylou
I send my condolences to Geoff’s family. My wife and I are supporters of VNPA, my brother Doug advised that he’d delivered the eulogy at Geoff’s memorial service, and we are so very glad we could hear about Geoff’s amazing contribution to VNPA and the cause of conservation in Victoria.
Thank you!
John Humann
Dearest Sue and Robyn,
Thank you for making this service available to view. Apology that I could not attend in person.
Such a lovely tribute and send off for your Father. It appears he has touched a lot of people and has greatly transformed their lives so positively.
What a legend and an inspirational person he was and forever will be to us all.
My deepest condolences to you both and your family.
May he Rest In Peace.
LN
I remember Geoff when I was a young scout or cub in the Bacchus Marsh Gang Show. He was heavily involved in at least one of the productions He would arrive in The Marsh by train after work and rehearsals could then start.I watched the service on line today and he certainly lived a very full life.
Living in the USA, I thank you for streaming this moving and interesting service.
Mr. Durham (he will forever be thus) was one of the partners at Hall & Willcox when I worked there in the 1960’s. It was my first job and the training I received there has served me well over the decades.
On the one hand nobody will forget the days when he thundered out of his office on his way to confront some poor unsuspecting article clerk or one of us, members of the secretarial staff, because of something or another. None of us was exempt!
On the other hand, he was a man ahead of the times and thoughtfully opened up opportunities for several young women in the firm.
When I left to go overseas, he gave me a wonderful reference and names of people to meet up with in London.
Sorry to say we have only caught up a couple of times over the years. We actually talked about going to see Mr. Durham when we visit in July.
Unfortunately, I have missed that opportunity.
My sincere condolences to all the family. He was one of a kind.
Geoff was the mainstay of the Friends of Wyperfeld National Park since its inception. He has left a legacy with his book on the park.
As a Friend of Wanderslore, and latterly – with Geoff’s encouragement – as a member of the Wanderslore Committee of Management, I remember with gratitude his wise guidance in caring for this unique property, and his continuing commitment to it in the face of increasing disability and frailty. Thanks also to Robyn and Curtis for so faithfully bringing him to our Sunday working bees in his later years.
We will all miss him dreadfully.
Janet Sowden
What a lovely service and what a wonderful life! I am sorry I could not be there, but I am pleased to have discovered that I was not the only one initially a bit intimidated by Geoff. I met him when I worked as publications manager at the VNPA; he was on the publications committee. (Was there a VNPA committee that Geoff wasn’t on?) That initial severity soon dissolved, and I, like everyone else it seems, found Geoff to be a staunch ally and an indefatigable fighter for nature conservation. He also had a terrific sense of humour!
What a beautiful ceremony for a very dear man and celebration of his extraordinary life. Sending love to you all at this time.
My shared experience with Geoff was primarily at Wanderslore Sanctuary. Geoff was convener of the Management Committee and we worked through establishing the Sanctuary and addressed many significant land management issues. We had upwards of an acre of Agapanthus around the cottage spreading out into the bush; Geoff led the effort to remove it all and he demonstrated, with help of course, that even the most intractable weed problem can be solved by targeted hard work over time. The other big issue we dealt with was the multiple titles and road reserve that created the opportunity for government to propose a road previously that was resisted successfully; Geoff’s legal background helped him appreciate the problem and he even got pro bono help from his old firm Hall and Wilcox to combine titles and acquire the road reserve for permanent conservation management. I was privileged to get to know Geoff through just one of his passions in life but this was just part of his many achievements. He was always inspiring with his knowledge, enthusiasm and determination and his example will live on through all of our efforts.
Thank you to the family, friends and Doug Humann for their wonderful words about Geoff.
I started at VNPA under Director Amanda Martin as Fundraising and Membership officer. The first formally appointed one. Geoff was pretty wary of ‘fundraising’, not sure it was needed as he knew most of the members and they supported VNPA when they could. He was definitely a larger than life character and quite intimidating. For the first 3 months he didn’t know my name – he would would come charging into the office in to tell me he’d had ANOTHER call from an member/friend complaining about ANOTHER donation ask in the newsletter. However, he began to soften his opinion when he could see the benefit of what we were doing. Then he was very supportive and I felt he always had my back when introducing a new initiative like the Crosby Morrison Fund. He was a wonderful, inspiring person who I was very lucky to work with.
Dear Sue and Robyn and family
Thanks for your moving tributes. What a wonderful honouring service which showed how far-reaching Geoff was in his works and influence – he must have been a force to reckon with and undoubtedly he could not have done as much as he did without that enthusiasm of his. Such a steadfast honourable man your father was – and larger than life! Judy certainly had a worthy man as a husband – even though he was such a handful! It is obvious from the tenor of all the speakers how much he was respected and loved for who he was. It was fitting that Curtis read one of Constance Coleman’s poems at the end, the man who allowed Geoff to continue visiting his beloved Wanderslore.
Thank you for the insightful service honouring Geoff, a life well lived. Geoff was an inspiration for me volunteering at the VNPA. I first met him in the 1980s and had many occasions to work with him over the years. His integrity and diligence shone through all that he set his mind and heart to. Farewell Geoff.
Sorry we couldn’t be there in person, but thought that the service was a great depiction of Geoff’s life.
Geoff was a wonderful leader and always a source of sage advice during our years with VNPA and especially while I (Euan) was on council or part of the BWAG committee. It was a joy to be on a walk with him and absorb a little of the knowledge that he shared. A wonderful mentor to all.
Suze and Rob, you spoke beautifully about your darling dad, so heartfelt and showing a different side to your dad’s public persona. the slide show was perfect, all the love of family and nature shining through. I have a big hug ready for you my darling Suze.
Dearest Sue, Robyn, Curtis and family
Your dad, uncle would have been extremely proud of you all, on a beautiful ceremony of his extraordinary life. My deepest condolences on a hard and sad day, and hope you find strength with all the shared love around Australia of your dads life. The slide show and Paul Kelly’s appropriately played music captured a beautiful, well lived & loved, important life Geoff lived! And Robyn, thank you for sharing, the beauty in the last thing he heard was the birds at dawn. Sending my biggest love and thoughts to you all. KA xx
Geoff was such an inspirational VNPA walks leader, and although my experiences are only from his later VNPA period, I admired his commitment, enthusiasm and quiet passion in the walks he led. His ParkWatch contributions were always a great read. My grandfather Ralph Sims (“ARK”) was a co-Scout Leader with Geoff and held him in great respect. Geoff Durham – a life well lived and a phenomenal legacy.
Geoff Durham was a great friend and a committed conservationist. He was a senior city lawyer and gave his recreation efforts to environmental protection and conservation through the creation and management of national parks.
He was at the hub of most of the VNPA activities for decades, friends groups, parkwatch, Walk Talk and Gawk, and publications. He provided sound advice to us all. His influence was profound and went well beyond National parks. His drive was
Strong and compelling. He will be greatly missed. U you