Glen Ochre died last Tuesday 13 May 2014. We conclude our tribute to her today.
As the daughter of communists Glen was socially aware from a young age. Now she became increasingly politically active. She was part of the movement against capital punishment spurred by Ronald Ryan’s hanging in 1967, and harboured draft dodgers during the Vietnam war. She was actively involved in the women’s movement from way back when it was organised around women’s kitchen tables. Glen learnt much from this movement, and in turn gave much back. Her commitment to feminism enabled her to begin crafting more effective ways to work together as collectives.
It was a busy and happy time for Glen, but it was not to last. The strain of the devastating death of her first daughter, Jodie, from cancer when she was just tow and a half, was too much for Bob and they split up. Years of poverty followed as Glen struggled to raise her three children on her nursing wage. And then the children lost their father when Bob died in a car accident in 1975.
By this time Glen had left nursing and was working on a support program at the Brotherhood of St Laurence for those doing it tough. It was the perfect fit. The job also launched Glen into a social work degree, where she honed her skills in group work. The education strengthened her analytical framework for her widening political focus.
After graduating in 1979, she returned to the Brotherhood, where the then CEO, Peter Hollingworth, became a great ally in Glen’s biggest project, the establishment of the Commonground Co-operative on 38 hectares near Seymour. He got the Brotherhood to stump up significant funds towards the endeavour.
It was at the Brotherhood that she met Ed McKinley, her second husband. They made a strong team with Ed giving her the support to take the next step with her dreams. They had two children together, Dan and Ruby.
Always the revolutionary, Glen had a passionate dream for a better way to live, to raise children and to build an effective platform to pursue collaborative endeavours – facilitating groups, campaigns for women’s rights, support for the marginalised, nonviolence and social justice. Together with friends Phil Bourne, Kate Lewer, Terry Melvin and Ed, Glen created Commonground Co-operative, a venture in communal living and working together. There were many years of working bees, fundraising and robust meetings. Commonground thrives as an intentional community and workshop space for activist and community groups.
In 1999 Glen and Ed moved back to Melbourne where their son Dan had gone to continue his schooling. Dan needed support as a result of severe ear damage, causing chronic tinnitus. After years of working with groups to improve their skills they decided to launch the Groupwork Institute of Australia to offer more substantial collaborative education. The first full-year course in facilitation started in 2000. This later became registered as the world’s first nationally accredited facilitation qualification.
Tragedy again struck in 2010 when Cherie, Glen’s daughter who had cerebral palsy, died of cancer at age 42. Also by this time Glen’s reputation as a ‘doula’ (lay midwife) had enabled about 60 women to be better supported as they brought their newborn into the world. It is remarkable that she fitted this in on the side, although she was deply appreciative of the nourishment it gave her back.
Glen’s profound teachings brought together the three strands of her life’s philosophy: the spiritual connection we share with the Earth and all living creatures that centres us; the emotional realm that guides us, especially the power of love; and the understanding of the structural and political forces that operate around us. The hundreds of graduates who have participated in the year long courses and the thousands who have participated in the short courses, have benefited deeply from the ‘stickability’ of the innovative techniques and skills Glen has crafted.
Glen left a written legacy as well. She published her first book, a guide to group work, Getting our Act Together, last year. Her autobiography, Child of the Earth, will be published later this year.
Glen is survived by her children David, Brian, Dan and Ruby, her partner Ed, grandchildren Robbie, Finn, Nathan, Lachie, Frankie (and two more on the way), her sorta daughter Emily, and sorta son Jimmy and their parents Phil and Kate who have held the Commonground space with Glen and Ed since its inception. And then there is Glen’s huge extended mob…..
Her legacy lives on in the collaborative structures and processes she created, and in the loving spirit that helped form strong and lasting connections with everyone around her.
Glen Ochre, returned to Mother Earth.