End of an era: beloved advocate Audrey Nash dies aged 99

The Advertiser

6 days ago

AUDREY Nash has died, at the age of 99.
And while she will be missed by many who loved and knew her well, she will also be missed by countless others, across Australia and around the world, who she did not know, but whose lives she touched in profound and lasting ways.
'Aud', as she was affectionately known, unwittingly became a beacon of hope for hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, and their people, caught up in the crime wave of the Catholic Church, and other religious institutions as well.
Audrey died on Saturday (June 21) in the hospice at the Calvary Mater Hospital after facing a series of age-related health issues since the start of the year.
She had continued to spend lots of time around people, who visited her on a regular basis in hospital and back at the house where she had lived since 1930 right up until the end.
She loved people - she loved being around people, and she loved helping people - and people loved her. Quick-witted, kind-hearted, upfront, and from backyard cricket to belting out a song, she was always up for fun.
Audrey was a die-hard Knights fan and a keen dancer with a great singing voice.
She loved a good party, threw a great many, and was particularly partial to a glass of chardonnay.
Audrey grew up and continued to live her whole life in Hamilton. She was a champion bowler, captaining a team which took out the NSW lawn bowls state titles, as well as being an excellent tennis player and a lover of music, especially musicals and Broadway.
She met her late husband Bert, a sailor, at a seaman's dance, and together they had five children. But it was left to Audrey to raise them after Bert's death at the start of 1974.
Tragically, and in the most unforgivable and unforgettable of circumstances, she lost her youngest child, 13-year-old Andrew Nash, who took his own life later that same year.
Audrey has described that night as the "night that never ends".
That night, the crimes committed in the lead up to it, the events that occurred in the hours, days, months and years after, became a trigger and a focus of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse announced in November 2012.
Audrey became the face of the royal commission, and continued to receive feedback from people around the world all the way through to her later years and up to her death about the impact that her evidence at the commission, and her willingness to speak out, had on other survivors, their family members and friends.
It was her courage and unwavering dedication to truth-seeking and justice that inspired them to tell their stories, sometimes for the first time ever, to the commission and to the police.
While other mums, God-fearing Catholics, and families abandoned their adult children for taking their fight to court, Audrey Nash not only stood up for her own son, and her own family, but also for others.
She could often be found standing with them, and travelling along beside them as they faced their own battles, in and out of court, quietly going through the process along with them, offering support and solidarity.
She would take them lunch, celebrate their wins, and comisserate their losses.
And her influence will continue to be felt for years to come, including at an upcoming book launch where the author will credit Audrey's contribution to the documentary series Revelation for inspiring her to write it.
The series, by ABC television's Nial Fulton and Sarah Ferguson, followed the criminal trials of Catholic priests accused of child sexual abuse.
While that part of the story is well known, the personal price that Audrey has paid for speaking out is not so well-known - the people at church who turned their backs on her, and asked her to be quiet. To be silent.
But she was not.
In the last of her many generous interviews with the Newcastle Herald earlier this year, Audrey continued to champion the cause, calling on the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese to deliver the memorial promised to victims, survivors, and their families after years of delays.
"It should be at the Sacred Heart Church, our biggest church," she said.
"That's where a lot of the priests especially were during that time. And now."
And that is where the life of Audrey Nash will be celebrated.
Because for all of the trials and tribulations that came her way, due in large part to the crimes and betrayals of the men who run the institution that is the Roman Catholic Church, she kept her faith.
She was read the last rites before her death, and made sure her family knew which prayers she wanted at her funeral to be held at the Hamilton church where she worshipped, worked, and prayed.
Audrey Nash is survived by her children Patricia, Geoffrey, Carmen and Bernadette, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The details of her funeral will be confirmed in the coming days.
AUDREY Nash has died, at the age of 99.
And while she will be missed by many who loved and knew her well, she will also be missed by countless others, across Australia and around the world, who she did not know, but whose lives she touched in profound and lasting ways.
'Aud', as she was affectionately known, unwittingly became a beacon of hope for hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, and their people, caught up in the crime wave of the Catholic Church, and other religious institutions as well.
Audrey died on Saturday (June 21) in the hospice at the Calvary Mater Hospital after facing a series of age-related health issues since the start of the year.
She had continued to spend lots of time around people, who visited her on a regular basis in hospital and back at the house where she had lived since 1930 right up until the end.
She loved people - she loved being around people, and she loved helping people - and people loved her. Quick-witted, kind-hearted, upfront, and from backyard cricket to belting out a song, she was always up for fun.
Audrey was a die-hard Knights fan and a keen dancer with a great singing voice.
She loved a good party, threw a great many, and was particularly partial to a glass of chardonnay.
Audrey grew up and continued to live her whole life in Hamilton. She was a champion bowler, captaining a team which took out the NSW lawn bowls state titles, as well as being an excellent tennis player and a lover of music, especially musicals and Broadway.
She met her late husband Bert, a sailor, at a seaman's dance, and together they had five children. But it was left to Audrey to raise them after Bert's death at the start of 1974.
Tragically, and in the most unforgivable and unforgettable of circumstances, she lost her youngest child, 13-year-old Andrew Nash, who took his own life later that same year.
Audrey has described that night as the "night that never ends".
That night, the crimes committed in the lead up to it, the events that occurred in the hours, days, months and years after, became a trigger and a focus of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse announced in November 2012.
Audrey became the face of the royal commission, and continued to receive feedback from people around the world all the way through to her later years and up to her death about the impact that her evidence at the commission, and her willingness to speak out, had on other survivors, their family members and friends.
It was her courage and unwavering dedication to truth-seeking and justice that inspired them to tell their stories, sometimes for the first time ever, to the commission and to the police.
While other mums, God-fearing Catholics, and families abandoned their adult children for taking their fight to court, Audrey Nash not only stood up for her own son, and her own family, but also for others.
She could often be found standing with them, and travelling along beside them as they faced their own battles, in and out of court, quietly going through the process along with them, offering support and solidarity.
She would take them lunch, celebrate their wins, and comisserate their losses.
And her influence will continue to be felt for years to come, including at an upcoming book launch where the author will credit Audrey's contribution to the documentary series Revelation for inspiring her to write it.
The series, by ABC television's Nial Fulton and Sarah Ferguson, followed the criminal trials of Catholic priests accused of child sexual abuse.
While that part of the story is well known, the personal price that Audrey has paid for speaking out is not so well-known - the people at church who turned their backs on her, and asked her to be quiet. To be silent.
But she was not.
In the last of her many generous interviews with the Newcastle Herald earlier this year, Audrey continued to champion the cause, calling on the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese to deliver the memorial promised to victims, survivors, and their families after years of delays.
"It should be at the Sacred Heart Church, our biggest church," she said.
"That's where a lot of the priests especially were during that time. And now."
And that is where the life of Audrey Nash will be celebrated.
Because for all of the trials and tribulations that came her way, due in large part to the crimes and betrayals of the men who run the institution that is the Roman Catholic Church, she kept her faith.
She was read the last rites before her death, and made sure her family knew which prayers she wanted at her funeral to be held at the Hamilton church where she worshipped, worked, and prayed.
Audrey Nash is survived by her children Patricia, Geoffrey, Carmen and Bernadette, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The details of her funeral will be confirmed in the coming days.
AUDREY Nash has died, at the age of 99.
And while she will be missed by many who loved and knew her well, she will also be missed by countless others, across Australia and around the world, who she did not know, but whose lives she touched in profound and lasting ways.
'Aud', as she was affectionately known, unwittingly became a beacon of hope for hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, and their people, caught up in the crime wave of the Catholic Church, and other religious institutions as well.
Audrey died on Saturday (June 21) in the hospice at the Calvary Mater Hospital after facing a series of age-related health issues since the start of the year.
She had continued to spend lots of time around people, who visited her on a regular basis in hospital and back at the house where she had lived since 1930 right up until the end.
She loved people - she loved being around people, and she loved helping people - and people loved her. Quick-witted, kind-hearted, upfront, and from backyard cricket to belting out a song, she was always up for fun.
Audrey was a die-hard Knights fan and a keen dancer with a great singing voice.
She loved a good party, threw a great many, and was particularly partial to a glass of chardonnay.
Audrey grew up and continued to live her whole life in Hamilton. She was a champion bowler, captaining a team which took out the NSW lawn bowls state titles, as well as being an excellent tennis player and a lover of music, especially musicals and Broadway.
She met her late husband Bert, a sailor, at a seaman's dance, and together they had five children. But it was left to Audrey to raise them after Bert's death at the start of 1974.
Tragically, and in the most unforgivable and unforgettable of circumstances, she lost her youngest child, 13-year-old Andrew Nash, who took his own life later that same year.
Audrey has described that night as the "night that never ends".
That night, the crimes committed in the lead up to it, the events that occurred in the hours, days, months and years after, became a trigger and a focus of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse announced in November 2012.
Audrey became the face of the royal commission, and continued to receive feedback from people around the world all the way through to her later years and up to her death about the impact that her evidence at the commission, and her willingness to speak out, had on other survivors, their family members and friends.
It was her courage and unwavering dedication to truth-seeking and justice that inspired them to tell their stories, sometimes for the first time ever, to the commission and to the police.
While other mums, God-fearing Catholics, and families abandoned their adult children for taking their fight to court, Audrey Nash not only stood up for her own son, and her own family, but also for others.
She could often be found standing with them, and travelling along beside them as they faced their own battles, in and out of court, quietly going through the process along with them, offering support and solidarity.
She would take them lunch, celebrate their wins, and comisserate their losses.
And her influence will continue to be felt for years to come, including at an upcoming book launch where the author will credit Audrey's contribution to the documentary series Revelation for inspiring her to write it.
The series, by ABC television's Nial Fulton and Sarah Ferguson, followed the criminal trials of Catholic priests accused of child sexual abuse.
While that part of the story is well known, the personal price that Audrey has paid for speaking out is not so well-known - the people at church who turned their backs on her, and asked her to be quiet. To be silent.
But she was not.
In the last of her many generous interviews with the Newcastle Herald earlier this year, Audrey continued to champion the cause, calling on the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese to deliver the memorial promised to victims, survivors, and their families after years of delays.
"It should be at the Sacred Heart Church, our biggest church," she said.
"That's where a lot of the priests especially were during that time. And now."
And that is where the life of Audrey Nash will be celebrated.
Because for all of the trials and tribulations that came her way, due in large part to the crimes and betrayals of the men who run the institution that is the Roman Catholic Church, she kept her faith.
She was read the last rites before her death, and made sure her family knew which prayers she wanted at her funeral to be held at the Hamilton church where she worshipped, worked, and prayed.
Audrey Nash is survived by her children Patricia, Geoffrey, Carmen and Bernadette, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The details of her funeral will be confirmed in the coming days.
AUDREY Nash has died, at the age of 99.
And while she will be missed by many who loved and knew her well, she will also be missed by countless others, across Australia and around the world, who she did not know, but whose lives she touched in profound and lasting ways.
'Aud', as she was affectionately known, unwittingly became a beacon of hope for hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, and their people, caught up in the crime wave of the Catholic Church, and other religious institutions as well.
Audrey died on Saturday (June 21) in the hospice at the Calvary Mater Hospital after facing a series of age-related health issues since the start of the year.
She had continued to spend lots of time around people, who visited her on a regular basis in hospital and back at the house where she had lived since 1930 right up until the end.
She loved people - she loved being around people, and she loved helping people - and people loved her. Quick-witted, kind-hearted, upfront, and from backyard cricket to belting out a song, she was always up for fun.
Audrey was a die-hard Knights fan and a keen dancer with a great singing voice.
She loved a good party, threw a great many, and was particularly partial to a glass of chardonnay.
Audrey grew up and continued to live her whole life in Hamilton. She was a champion bowler, captaining a team which took out the NSW lawn bowls state titles, as well as being an excellent tennis player and a lover of music, especially musicals and Broadway.
She met her late husband Bert, a sailor, at a seaman's dance, and together they had five children. But it was left to Audrey to raise them after Bert's death at the start of 1974.
Tragically, and in the most unforgivable and unforgettable of circumstances, she lost her youngest child, 13-year-old Andrew Nash, who took his own life later that same year.
Audrey has described that night as the "night that never ends".
That night, the crimes committed in the lead up to it, the events that occurred in the hours, days, months and years after, became a trigger and a focus of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse announced in November 2012.
Audrey became the face of the royal commission, and continued to receive feedback from people around the world all the way through to her later years and up to her death about the impact that her evidence at the commission, and her willingness to speak out, had on other survivors, their family members and friends.
It was her courage and unwavering dedication to truth-seeking and justice that inspired them to tell their stories, sometimes for the first time ever, to the commission and to the police.
While other mums, God-fearing Catholics, and families abandoned their adult children for taking their fight to court, Audrey Nash not only stood up for her own son, and her own family, but also for others.
She could often be found standing with them, and travelling along beside them as they faced their own battles, in and out of court, quietly going through the process along with them, offering support and solidarity.
She would take them lunch, celebrate their wins, and comisserate their losses.
And her influence will continue to be felt for years to come, including at an upcoming book launch where the author will credit Audrey's contribution to the documentary series Revelation for inspiring her to write it.
The series, by ABC television's Nial Fulton and Sarah Ferguson, followed the criminal trials of Catholic priests accused of child sexual abuse.
While that part of the story is well known, the personal price that Audrey has paid for speaking out is not so well-known - the people at church who turned their backs on her, and asked her to be quiet. To be silent.
But she was not.
In the last of her many generous interviews with the Newcastle Herald earlier this year, Audrey continued to champion the cause, calling on the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese to deliver the memorial promised to victims, survivors, and their families after years of delays.
"It should be at the Sacred Heart Church, our biggest church," she said.
"That's where a lot of the priests especially were during that time. And now."
And that is where the life of Audrey Nash will be celebrated.
Because for all of the trials and tribulations that came her way, due in large part to the crimes and betrayals of the men who run the institution that is the Roman Catholic Church, she kept her faith.
She was read the last rites before her death, and made sure her family knew which prayers she wanted at her funeral to be held at the Hamilton church where she worshipped, worked, and prayed.
Audrey Nash is survived by her children Patricia, Geoffrey, Carmen and Bernadette, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The details of her funeral will be confirmed in the coming days.