Ihadonlybeen thereashort timeand I thinkTom
my brother was withme at the time, anyway I
went toa fairheldat theQueensgardenBunbury
(called theKoombarna fair) I came across aBahai
stall/displaymanned byMaxine and JimBradley,
Wally the bearded one and Roger Ridley. After
talking and taking a book which I had trouble
reading and telling themwhere Iwas staying (the
Punch bowl caravan park) that night, I think Jim
and Maxine came and I was whisked away in a
rattly kombi camper van to a fireside at Rogers
Ridleys farm, where I was brow beaten in a life
changingmemorablewayall evening.
The events after this are a bit on the blurry side.
At some stageGreg appeared at the caravan park
in his turquoise ford falcon wagon. Sandy was
with him and someone else, I think it was Ian
Churny or may be not, any way Greg, it seemed
without any consultation, took us off on some
wild zealots sojourndown south tohis old family
stomping ground (either Grymwade, Rocky
Gully or Pemberton, WHO KNOWS?). All the
while Greg is in full Bahai zeal and his over-the-
top personality swamping this very alcohol and
drug addled shy youth, who thought the Baha’is
he came acrosswere a calm andmeditative lot of
people of the 70’s (hippy types), but then along
came Greg Parker WHAT THE HELL @#&% I
DON’T LIKE THIS BLOKE AT ALL. We arrived
home late intothenightallonParkerTimehungry
and exhausted hoping that was the last I’d see of
him ... Fortunately therewasa function (teaching
campaign) at theBunbury surf clubwithinweeks
of my first contact. NolaWyths somehow found
me at a rooming housewhere I was stayingwith
Tom at the time (about this day I turned 21).We
went along and would you believe it there was
Susheel and Padma along with others (Bibi )
using girl power to seduce the soul. Maybe even
KevinCroftwasamongst themandweknowwhy,
Thefirst time ImetGreg, Ihad just
moved toBunburyandwasworking
on theP.W.Ddiggingsewage trenchers
(mainlybyshovel) itwasaround the
summerof1975,
anyway Igotthatwarm fuzzyback fortheFaithno
thanks to that ArrogantOver-OpinionatedMuzo
calledGregParker.
FastForwardsome36years.All is forgivenandthis
man has become a best friend and my spiritual
mentorand isan inexplicablepartofwho I am.
Greg has been diagnosed with cancer in January
and rang Lynne and me up. I remember being
speechless, then saying HO GREG HO GREG
and not being ofmuch help, it was left to Lynne
toget thedetails. Anywayas itprogressed forhim
he had touse crutches because of the tumour on
hiship. Sounjust.OnMarch 18 Iwasadmitted to
hospital inBunburywith rapidAF and soon after
flown toPerthSt. John’sSubiaco, after some time,
5daysmaybe Iwas inasharedroomwitha50year
old Aussie-Jewish man(he said) with gallbladder
problems, he was very vocal about his suffering
(he would say to all that came to visit him such
pain oh how I’m suffering here such painwoe is
me, he talked a good pain). Lynne gaveme some
good news- Greg would come visit me when
he could. I was so looking forward to it! As soon
as Greg was able to visit he rushed in, this poor
cancer ravagedman in ill fitting clothes because
he had lost muscle tone, with a cloth shoulder
bag around his neck loaded with a prayer book,
hopping inon crutches (the sight of himbrought
a tear tomy eyes).We embraced and laughed and
joked about who was trying to beat who to the
next world. What a sight we must have been, a
dishevelled Parker on crutches and a pale sickly
me with wires hanging everywhere. I remember
glancingover at the Jewishpatient andheandhis
wifewere both lookingwithwide eyed and open
mouthed disbelief at this pathetic sight! I think
he realised at that moment he wasn’t the sickest
thing still living.Ourwives /guardianangleswere
at thedoor shaking theirheads.Theotherpatient
got tonowaboutTheBahaiFaithbeforeGreg left.
RobMcMahon
