In Memory of Jenny Tesoriero

Friday was indeed a sad day for Mount Evelyn.

Friday morning our dear friend Jenny Tess lost her long, courageous and most dignified battle for life and passed away peacefully with her family by her bedside.

One of the true characters of Mount Evelyn has only passed out of sight but her spirit will long be remembered by all of us who knew and loved her so well. She touched so many people in different ways and I personally will always remember her love and zest for life. Her love for a good laugh and her wicked sense of humour always ensured that for those very precious times you could always expect the unexpected and end up splitting at the seams with a major attack of the belly laughs. But then ‘Jens’ no nonsense approach always combined with her love and compassion for those in less fortunate circumstances was only another one of her unique hallmarks. Her favourite greeting of ‘Hello Luv’, you knew came from the heart. It was no mere throwaway line because it was always said with that unwavering ability to put anyone at ease and once you earned the respect and loyalty that this lady demanded you knew you’d have a friend for life. And we did!

I had the fortune of knowing ‘Jen’ for more than half her of her far far too short life span and many of us could probably write a bestseller on some of her practical jokes that we were all victims of at one time or another. But then true to form you could always guarantee that when the tables were turned it was accepted with the same grace and humour that she dished it out with. For well over 10 years or more(?) we had all been neighbours and Jenny and Vinny had been part of the ‘View Street Gang’ which from memory was bestowed on us by the old Shire of Lilydale when we announced we would be building our own road! Jenny was born and bred in Mount Evelyn and passed away in the house next door to where she was born. That might only have been the width of a street but it might as well been the Pacific Ocean for a lot of territory, distance and experience had been covered in the intervening Gulf of years.

Jen’s relationship with MEEPPA was a very special one.

At a time when great changes were being wrought and forced on this township by Giant external commercial forces Vinny and Jenny epitomized what it was to be in ‘Small Business’ at a time in Mount Evelyn’s history when we saw the sustainability of this village severely threatened and almost extinguished by the might of such monsters as Woolworths. Initially none of us had the skills or knowledge to save these businesses but we never, never; lacked the determination, courage and will power to battle them head on – and so we did. At some time through the grinding DDO process to stave off those most inappropriate developments that were becoming more frequent, Jen we discovered, was gravely ill. But then on a personal note I had been a survivor of the same affliction that first beset her which in some ways made our personal relationship much stronger. She was a great supporter of the work that Clare and I did in those earlier days and became a champion and ally of MEEPPA’s ability to galvanise the Community. She said she was ‘allergic’ to meetings and all the ..’formal stuff luv’, just give me the information and I will get it out to the people… and Vinny and Jenny did. The counter of the shop, the windows and anything else were given over to us. And I’m sure that Jenny and Vinny wouldn’t mind me mentioning that ‘the’ Fruit Boxes that eventually symbolized the death of small business in this town all came from Vinny and Jennys – and just 2 or 3 short weeks ago we spoke about that time and I actually apologized to her for bringing it up…’Oh Don’t be silly luv – every bugger saw us and stood up and took notice….and anyway we’ve all gotta die someday’..

The sad irony in all of that, is that in many ways Jenny could clearly see that her own fight for survival actually mirrored what she had previously feared most - the survival of Mount Evelyn which she loved- and which loved her in return.

When MEEPPA formally submitted the DDO back to Council after it had been publicly exhibited and then gutted by the Independent Panel Process Jenny was really struggling so we took the unprecedented step of dedicating the DDO in the hope of saving this town to …’Jenny Tess our friend and colleague’. That was a difficult night for us all but quite especially Clare who for the first time in the many years I have known her nearly ‘lost it’ but battled on. Of course the rest is now history but every little win along the way we kept dedicated to Jenny and her own personal fight – which in a sense helped us in return. I remember Clare bravely saying to Jenny …”you aint going anywhere until we’ve all seen the end of Woolworths” . Then the Ward Councilor who Jenny and Vinny had always supported so fervently ‘upped the ante’ by saying ..’You know you’ll have to keep going now because there wont be another Super Market’ built in this village on my watch’…’ and that could mean VCAT and probably beyond’. ‘Yeh we’ll handle that no worries…Yeh right! And somehow we did.

Who could ever forget Vinny’s ‘tirade’ at the last Public Meeting and Jenny standing there with one of the many placards which is now a permanent fixture on the ‘RAW” website…’Community says NO! Council says NO! WHY NOT LISTEN ?...”

Jenny was just so proud to always be ‘part’ of the fight that we took up to them and wanted to know every little detail….’and have they locked up Franc yet’ etc. She craved every detail and looked at every picture that Clare gave her and absorbed it all with a deep contentment.

Apart from winning the impossible fight I was doubly proud to be able to sit in front of Jen and tell her that we had won and that we had fulfilled one of our more contentious promises. But it was no hollow promise as we were prepared to take MEEPPA into unknown territory if necessary – there could have been no way back.

We are all the poorer for her passing but are far richer for the short time she was among us. When the cold of this winter fades her memory will not diminish. A friend for life is a friend for eternity and on behalf of the membership of MEEPPA, and the wider Community who support us, our thoughts and sincere wishes are with Vinny and the Tessa family at this time.

We will miss her deeply, (and may I say on a personal note Clare, Tim & I have lost another of our great ‘mates’.)