This morning’s Age had eleven full pages and one editorial devoted to the Ford closure. On page 13 there was a 9 paragraph story about the death of Hazel Hawke, barely 1/4 of a page. Her obituary, written by Gerry Carman, was headed “A woman with homespun appeal”.
I’d like to think that The Age could do better than that.
I was not particularly impressed by the writing style in the book Hazel’s Journey: A Personal Experience of Alzheimers. But I deeply admired the woman it described: her resilience, her warmth and her sheer courage in agreeing to become the public face of Alzheimers.
When I heard that she had died, I felt so sad for her family because I know what such a death would have meant. Vale Hazel.
The Resident Judge of Port Phillip 
She must have been a strong, dignified woman to have put up with all the b.s throughout her marriage and towards the end of their time together.
I had no idea she was an excellent pianist. This week on tv I saw she was one of the three soloists in a Mozart Piano Concerto. Brilliant!
A woman with homespun appeal! Honestly … that’s what we got too in the Canberra Times … being Fairfax Media ‘n all.
And the ABC online headline, defining her not by her achievements but by her husband! *sigh*