about Gary… - AIVL
about Gary… - AIVL
about Gary… - AIVL
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In Remembrance…<br />
Gary William<br />
Meyerhoff<br />
1975 - 2006
“My name is Gary William Meyerhoff<br />
and I am a queer (it’s the only label<br />
that I think suits me), junkie, writer,<br />
shit-stirrer and activist currently<br />
based in Darwin in the Northern<br />
Territory of Australia.”<br />
Personal profile: blogspot.com
<strong>about</strong> <strong>Gary…</strong><br />
• Gary was born in Grimsby, England in 1975.<br />
• He went to school in Perth.<br />
• At 16 he joined the navy for 3 years.<br />
• At 19 Gary was diagnosed with HIV.<br />
• He was a member of the first WASUA Management<br />
Commi tee.<br />
• After moving to Darwin, in May 2001 Gary was a<br />
founding member of the Network Against Prohibition<br />
(NAP) and;<br />
• He was a member of the <strong>AIVL</strong> Executive from 2002-<br />
2005
<strong>about</strong> <strong>Gary…</strong><br />
• Trance & electronic stuff<br />
• jazz and blues<br />
• the Beatles<br />
• the Doors<br />
• Marley<br />
• KD Lang<br />
• Caroline McNair's jigs<br />
• the Gilbert Street Blues<br />
Explosion<br />
• Crowded House<br />
• Indigo Girls<br />
• Janis J
“The world will be a less bright &<br />
bizarre place without you, Gary.<br />
You blazed a trail . . . . !”<br />
Jenny K
“Meet Darwin's public enemy number<br />
one”<br />
“Gary Meyerhoff leads<br />
a ragtag bunch called<br />
Network Against<br />
Prohibition -- known as<br />
NAP -- committed to<br />
protesting against the<br />
NT's new drug laws.”<br />
Murray McLaughlin, ABC Stateline Reporter
‘The People’s<br />
House???<br />
Last May, on the eve of debate of the drugs laws, Gary<br />
Meyerhoff and his cohorts from NAP stormed the<br />
Parliament chamber in Darwin while it was in session.<br />
Placards were held aloft. Slogans were shouted.<br />
Chaos reigned for several minutes till the invaders were<br />
dragged out.<br />
They're now before the Magistrates Court on charges<br />
of disturbing Parliament, liable for gaol up to three<br />
years.
‘The People’s<br />
House??? Cont…<br />
NAP members had tangled with the police before their<br />
invasion of Parliament.<br />
A rally in Darwin's<br />
CBD turned ugly last<br />
April although<br />
Meyerhoff's arrest<br />
for loitering was<br />
later deemed illegal<br />
by the Ombudsman.<br />
Since then, police have not so much thrown the book as<br />
crushed them with the whole library. Murray McLaughlin,<br />
ABC Stateline Reporter
“The Network Against Prohibition is grieving for the<br />
loss of our founding member and soldier of justice Gary<br />
Meyerhoff. Gaz passed away in WA on Sat, 8 Oct 2006,<br />
from AIDS related illness. Diagnosed HIV+ at 19, Gary<br />
was 31 when the disease finally beat him.<br />
Whether you loved him or hated him - it was hard to<br />
ignore him. He used his time on this earth to fight for<br />
justice for all, particularly the victims of the War on<br />
Drugs.<br />
So everyone out there, raise your bong, pipe or crystal<br />
and have one for Gaz. In so row at his passing,<br />
gratitude that his pain is over and in celebration of his<br />
life.”<br />
Fi, NAPNT
“ I've heard lawyers saying if he'd<br />
wanted to he could have been a<br />
lawyer. He had the ability and so<br />
some people say he possibly wasted<br />
some of talents because he had a lot<br />
of…he was a very bright lad.”<br />
Bill McMahon<br />
Activist or ratbag? - Gary Meyerhoff dies at 31<br />
ABC Stateline, 13 October 2006
“Gary was a gentleman and a scholar and in the time I<br />
knew him and served on the <strong>AIVL</strong> Exec with him he was<br />
a tireless campaigner for users and our rights. When<br />
something like this happens it just brings it all home<br />
what it is we are doing.<br />
The activist movement has lost one of it's leading<br />
lights. I will miss seeing Gary at the <strong>AIVL</strong> AGM's etc<br />
and I'll be raising a bong, a spike and a king brown in<br />
your honour. The movement will be a sadder place<br />
without you. R.I.P mate I hope you've finally found a bit<br />
of peace. See yer Gaz!!!!”<br />
Steve, WASUA
“It seems, these days, anything that<br />
puts a smile on your face is illegal”<br />
Gary Meyerhoff, 7 January 2006
“Meyerhoff was an inspiration — a<br />
trouble-maker who made us step out<br />
of our comfort zones. We are better<br />
activists and stronger people for<br />
having known him. He will be sorely<br />
missed.”<br />
Emma Corro<br />
Green Left Online<br />
14 October 2006
Smoke-Ins<br />
“Gary was involved in organising<br />
dozens of “smoke-ins” in central<br />
Darwin, not only to protest the<br />
drug laws, but also to provide<br />
free food, music and a rare safe<br />
space from racism and police<br />
harassment for Darwin’s<br />
itinerant population.”<br />
Emma Corro<br />
Green Left Online<br />
14 October 2006
“Gary was a most passionate campaigner<br />
for the rights of users, as we all know.<br />
He will be sadly missed and dearly<br />
remembered.”<br />
Sarah Lord<br />
On behalf of VIVAIDS Inc.<br />
(Staff, Com and Members)
“It's times like this when I wished I could believe in an<br />
after-this-life: that way I could at least hope that Gary<br />
and I would meet up again.<br />
Alas, I don't and can't as it's not in me to believe in<br />
what is not tangible. What *is* tangible is the loss of a<br />
beaut mate who you could yell at and with when need be<br />
without ever losing that core friendship.<br />
Good-bye, you filthy bastard.”<br />
Charles Roberts<br />
Friend
Telling it how it is…<br />
“Surely li tle Johnny<br />
wouldn't let a white boy<br />
hang so easily? If Nguyen<br />
was called Ba ry and he<br />
was from Vaucluse or<br />
Sydney's North Shore,<br />
Howard would be doing<br />
everything in his power to<br />
stop the hanging.”<br />
Gary’s views on the execution of Van Tuong Nguyen in late 2005
“Often at conferences or other events when the<br />
rest of us were lounging around, Gary would be<br />
running off to the nearest Internet café to make<br />
sure all those on the DPFU or the <strong>AIVL</strong> Elist<br />
were kept up to date with activities. That is not<br />
to say that he wasn't there for the fun times. He<br />
was often the centre of those activities as well!<br />
So Gaz we will all miss your unique and cheeky<br />
smile and your many kindnesses. Your energy and<br />
enthusiasm can never be replicated.”<br />
Susan McGuckin<br />
On behalf of NUAA
“ Gary was a standard bearer in the front line of<br />
opposition to our drug policies and made a great<br />
contribution to the development of the drug user<br />
movement in Australia.”<br />
Mike Lodge<br />
<strong>AIVL</strong> President<br />
on behalf of <strong>AIVL</strong>
Forever in our<br />
hearts…<br />
“Let’s focus on what<br />
we (as users) have<br />
in common and work<br />
towards a common<br />
goal… the end of the<br />
war on drugs… that<br />
is the goal isn’t it?”