Life is changed not ended

Jacqueline Rosemary Masson Crock (née Bladin)
Born 6 January 1932, entered eternal life 5 March 2022

Eulogy given by Patricia Crock-Lüdecke, Jacqueline’s daughter.

Jacqueline’s maiden name was Bladin – Bladín in Swedish – they have a saying “ett älskat barn har många namn” translated means “a cherished child has many names”.

As a child, Jacqueline’s nickname was “Bubbles” and she kept this enthusiasm, fun, energy and curiosity right to the end.

Born in 1932 to Patricia (Pat) Magennis and Francis (Frank) Bladin she was their second child, younger sister to Peter and older sister to Sandy.

Her childhood was upended at the age of 7 by the outbreak of World War II. Her father was in the Air Force and was sent to Darwin to take over after the bombing, followed by secondment to Europe to plan the airborne invasion of Normandy on D-Day and then to Japan as the Chief of Staff of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces post-war. So for much of her childhood Jacqueline never knew if her father would be coming home. Maybe that is why she worried so much about all of her family.

At 7 she was sent to boarding school at Sacré Coeur – thus, her formative years were spent in an environment of strong women. The nuns, many with University degrees from Oxford and Cambridge (like Mother Percy Dove) are a French order founded by the sister of a Jesuit, like Father Frank Brennan SJ – who celebrated Jacqueline’s Requiem Mass – who believed in equal education for women, preparing them to be leaders in society with a strong sense of social justice. She went on to be Head of the school – or school captain as we now would say.

Jacqueline had a strong faith and she particularly valued the mother figure of Mary as one of strength, resilience and unconditional love – and she lived by these as we can all attest.

Her childhood holidays were spent at Jeir station between Yass and Canberra. Banjo Patterson was a neighbour and she sat on his knee as a child and his poem, “A bush christening” is written about our great grandfather, PJ Magennis. From here came her love of the Australian bush and its solitude.

After school, Jacqueline wanted to study Medicine like her older brother, Peter but she was advised against it “as not being suitable for a woman”. With a Scholarship to Melbourne University she enrolled in Science instead, where her paternal relative, David Orme Masson, the Scot who devised a flap- model to display the Periodic Table of elements, was Professor of Chemistry. She got the Gold medal as top student in Inorganic chemistry. Jacqueline always said she was not as intelligent as others around her but we beg to differ. She was also an excellent tennis player.

Jacqueline knew of Gerard Crock and his identical twin Harry but it was at Phillip Island that their relationship blossomed. Gerard had been invited by Peter for the weekend. To the slight chagrin of her parents, he arrived unannounced with his childhood friend, Jimmy Young who was deaf. It was Jacqueline’s kindness and compassion to Jimmy that clinched it for Gerard.

Jacqueline worked as a laboratory biochemist and microbiologist before the days of huge multi-analyser machines, at St Vincent’s and then at the Royal Women’s Hospital. She ran some of the first progesterone hormone assays in Australia. Many of these skills came to the fore later with her tree planting business.

Jacqueline and Gerard married at Newman College Chapel in 1956 on the day of the closing ceremony of the Melbourne Olympic Games – a partnership that spanned 51 years until Dad passed away in December 2007.

Mum’s laboratory career ended when I (Patricia) arrived and within 5 years I had 3 siblings – Mary born in Perth and John and Marnie in London where Dad was training in Ophthalmology. Dad was often on-call, staying several nights a week at Moorfields Eye hospital so Mum often coped alone with the ice, snow and impenetrable pea-soup fogs. She and Dad loved exploring Europe and the UK and going to the Opera at Covent Garden. She was thrifty and talented- making many of our clothes from beautiful fabrics on sale at Liberty’s, doing intricate smocking and knitting. This extended over the years to include our ball gowns – even hand sewing on hundreds of sequins for one of Marnie’s elegant creations. She was a fantastic knitter, spinning her own yarn from the fleeces off Paul’s sheep. She hated sitting and doing nothing, so she knitted watching TV, touring in the car with Dad or talking to Aunty Alma on the phone for hours.

When Dad was appointed the first Professor of Ophthalmology in Australia at Melbourne University, Mum was the strength behind the scenes. She was incredibly organized and great at logistics. They were generous hosts and Mum was a gracious and humble hostess. When our brother Peter, sibling number 5 was followed by Paul, number 6, this triggered our family move to Walpole Street – a magnificent 9-bedroom home in Kew where we spent the next 20 years. Our wonderful, vivacious au pair Terese Sheridan came into our life at that time. Even with an extra pair of hands, Mum still woke us up every morning with a hot chocolate. Of the many highlights, there are two that stand out for me; first the times around the kitchen table and second, Sunday roast lunches in the dining room. The kitchen table had little orange 1970s short barstools which meant we could always find room for the inevitable drop ins – e.g. my biochemistry prac partner who drove me home, Uni friends who wanted to practice on our tennis court. Already cooking for 8, Mum never hesitated to add two or three more mouths to feed. And she never hesitated to get on the tennis court – even as young adults none of us ever managed to beat her!!

Secondly, Sunday lunches – roast chicken with roast pumpkin and potatoes with tomato pie on the side and Aunty Alma’s apple pie. Pop was always there. Guests ranged from close friends to famous politicians to overseas University colleagues to overseas patients such as from the Cook Islands or Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Mum made us part of everything, waiting on table and listening to the most incredible conversations.

As we got older and started traveling overseas, including visits to China during the Cultural revolution and living in Belgium to learn French, Mum and Dad started hosting our many European friends in return. Even in her 80s she was showing the next generation, our friends’ children, around Lygon Street.

Mum not only maintained the home but the huge garden for fresh flowers in our rooms, an extensive veggie garden to feed all those mouths, a tennis court, a glass house full of orchids, Mary’s art studio, John’s massive fish tanks from Joe Yeung with their breeding Siamese fighting fish, John’s adaptation of the laundry into a dark room, and the baby goats Pete rescued after Ag Science experiments, complete with their radioactive mothers’ milk. She even pre- prepared and painted the entire two stories – only getting in the painters with their huge ladders for the final coat. And Mum was equally, or even more at home, working with the painters than any famous guests.

After Walpole Street was sold in 1988, Mum and Dad spent more time at Phillip Island. They had a farm and later an acreage where Mum began her native tree planting business in earnest. She understood plants, soil pH and the concept of the French term “terroir” using locally sourced seed stocks for optimal bush regeneration.

She was an active member of Land Care and after Dad died she moved full time to Phillip Island where she was embraced by Wendy and the Humberts, the Oxenboulds and the wider Phillip Island Community. Mum had managed Dad’s private practice and then helped John in his practice on the Island – she actively engaged with all of John’s patients as they sat in the waiting room, the wait somewhat dependent on the tide and wind direction! She started volunteering at Vinnies. Our brother Paul who was the local Land Care Coordinator estimates Mum started in 1993 and was growing up to 30,000 trees and shrubs a year – the biggest year when Mum went into hyper drive, being over 230,000 plants – trees, shrubs and grasses most of which ended up at Wilson’s Promontory National Park. Over her career she would have grown nearly 3/4 million trees.

When Paul and Samantha bought their farm near Fish Creek, life had come full circle. Olaf Bladin, our Swedish great great grandfather was a pioneer and prospector around Port Albert, Pop was born at Korumburra and Samantha‘s Standfield family has a long and rich history in the district. During the many months of COVID-19 lockdown Mum felt safe at the farm and in her element in the garden. She still kept in almost daily phone contact with her close friend Lily Kahan. Her neighbours Amanda and Andrew Irving gave her amazing support over the years. At the farm Mum watched the literally thousands of gum trees she had planted reach more than 20 metres in height. Her idea of heaven on earth!

However, her greatest human legacy is the values and education she gave us, her six children.

We have so much to celebrate, to rejoice in the beautiful soul that is our Mum.