Last night was something of an occasion for the M^cCoy family. In 1987, at the age of 31, Tim M^cCoy passed away after an asthma-induced heart attack. He was the second of two M^cCoys to pass in '87, with the man I earned my first name from, Grandpa Jim, having died six weeks after I was born. I’d been lucky enough to be Tim’s godson, though obviously I don’t remember him.

Tim was a community worker, a solicitor, an activist, a law teacher, a founder of Fitzroy Legal Service, and a Community Legal Centre (CLC) representative. He was the sole national representative for CLCs for three years before his death, allowing him to describe himself as the “national body.” His skills as a legal aid worker stemmed from an ability to win friends and work with people from across the social spectrum. I’m also told he was an inspiration and a friend. My parents, aunts and uncles still miss him. My Grandma looked old, last night.

In honour of him, a trust was established in his name, with such charactesr as John Faine (who had been a friend of Tim’s when he worked in law) acting as trustee. Two years after his death the first Tim M^cCoy dinner was held, where now retired Senator Barney Cooney spoke. Two years after that, the first Tim M^cCoy Award was given, to award efforts in community law. Since then, a long line of guest speakers, not all of whom knew Tim, have given their thoughts on the importance of community legal aid. Noel Pearson spoke in ’96. Tim Costello in ’97. Rob Hulls and Rod Quantock, back-to-back ’99 and ’00, gave very different takes on things. I’m told. Last year, Dr. Mohamed Haneef’s lawyer Stephen Keim spoke.

This year it was Deputy PM, the Honourable Julia Gillard’s turn. Her connection was that she used to work for Slater & Gordon (who had a small army in attendance last night), who have been heavily involved in community legal aid. In fact the connection ran deeper. John Faine couldn’t be there last night, but in his message to the proceedings he recounted the story of the first of three times the ABC fired him. Timid and shaking he went to seek legal aid from Slater & Gordon, where the lawyer said simply “John, what do you think I could possibly do for you?” That had been Ms. Gillard herself, though she insists that she said that because Faine had presented himself as the person with all the questions as well as all the answers.

She began by acknowledging the original owners of the land, something which would be tiresomely fashionable that evening. She didn’t know Tim, but was amazed at his dedication to help others in legal centres in disadvantaged communities. She’d learnt that he even volunteered at local legal centres in Tassie when on holidays there. She made reference to his calling himself “the national body”- not about physique! she quipped – and his advocacy, his hard work.

She then let us in on an unfashionable, some say delusional, theory – that this is the age of the progressive lawyer! Though a Mandarin-speaking diplomat runs the country, behind him are Hulls and her, two Labor (or is it labour? – she didn’t specify) lawyers from way-back-when. Their self-appointed task was to start Labor/ur law conspiracies and impose them on others. Look no further than Barrack Obama, now the world’s most powerful Labor/ur lawyer! “Can Labor/ur lawyers take over the world?!” she cried! “YES WE CAN,” was the response.

With that it was time to tread the party line. The ALP would not forget to deliver their election promises! Their solution to the economic crisis would not be solved by producing a country which was not fairer for all. This week, she said, she was going to bring new Labor laws to bring fairness and right of representation for all. Schools in disadvantaged and indigenous communities will be the next generation to be left behind if action is not taken, so on the anniversary of Reconciliation the “Closing the Gap” project would be announced. Following this, each year they would ask for an assessment from the Australian people on how they were going on delivering the goals they had set themselves. Aside from this, Australia had lost too much in climate change denial, and they intended to become world leaders in addressing the challenge. Finally, their mission would be for social inclusion, to make government work better for all.

She closed by saying it was hard to know where Tim could have taken his life if he could be there tonight, but she insisted that the changes the government was bringing would be what he would hope to see, to do the right things, with fairness and decency.

I don’t know, it’s what she said.

Acknowledging his family's efforts, President-elect Obama said he would now deliver on his promise to get a puppy for the White House."

(italics my own)

There are some days.. there are some days when I love this insane, unchartable, intensely confusing malais of postmodernity we live in. Only in America? Bullshit. Only in a world where media-saturation has allowed the new president elect to be shown as both paranoid and threatened, alienating and charismatic, aloofly bureaucratic and loving father, God-fearing and secular sexual juggernaut, amen! Black and white. Consumer and producer of a society built on the image and all-too-happy to be dominated by its effect.

HELLO does anybody actually use LiveJournal anymore? MELLO? GRELLOO-OOOO?