Lovers Dreamers Fighters by Lo Carmen

Author:Lo Carmen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2021-12-21T00:00:00+00:00

Though Wendy pretty much retired from singing in public, in her later years she still sang daily, probably more than she ever had. Of course, there were hours of Krishna chanting every day, but she also spent a lot of time volunteering at the aged-care South Port Community Residential Home in Albert Park, near the Krishna temple in Melbourne, sprinkling drops of holy water from the Ganges River on the residents and singing all the gorgeous hits of the 1940s and 50s to them – not in any formal way, literally just walking around singing ‘Alice Blue Gown’ (a favourite of one of the residents) and ‘Misty’ at the top of her lungs, telling a dear friend, ‘I like those old melodies, beautiful melodies and nice words.’ The residents adored her. The father of my rock’n’roll friend Conrad was there, a cheeky old rascal with a glint in his eye, and he and Wendy absolutely loved each other. People still comment and share stories on Wendy’s social media about the joy she brought their mum or dad at the home.

In 2007 I met up with Wendy in Melbourne, soon after the birth of my first son, Dutch. She picked up my baby and sang the 1930s classic ‘Smile’ to him, so softly and truthfully it ripped my heart from my chest. He just stared into her eyes, utterly entranced. When she saw I was a little emotionally overcome, she told me she would write down the words for me, and I should sing it every day. She insisted we meet up with her again a couple of days later, at the Krishna temple for a feast. Out of a magical secret pocket in her flowing robes, she produced the beautiful ‘Smile’ lyrics on a small piece of lined notepaper, written in her exquisite hand.

* * *

There are a lot of theories about why Wendy never reached the towering heights of John Farnham or Helen Reddy or Olivia Newton-John. People say, ‘She had her demons’ or ‘She fried her brain on LSD’ or ‘Drugs destroyed her, she just wasn’t there’ or ‘She hated men’ or ‘She joined a cult’. The mythology around Wendy was too big and mysterious for people to accept the simple explanation that she became more interested in chasing meaning and her own spirituality than hustling gigs and self-promotion and spending her time around drunks. And the right person or team never turned up to break down the doors and smooth all the paths so she could just walk in and sing, the way she wanted to, get real paid and get back to doing what she loved. She walked alone and it was a hard road, but she chose what felt right for her.

In a 2012 Sydney Morning Herald interview, Wendy said, ‘I usually get a job once in a blue moon. I guess it is by choice in a way. But at the same time I have always thought I would have liked to have earned a living at it.

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