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12 Campbell Street, Castlemaine

195 High Street, Kangaroo Flat (Bendigo)

in memory of

Judith Dawn Stratton Church

Judith Dawn Stratton Church

25th December 1938 - 25th February 2024

 

Judith Church departed St Arnaud on a Friday morning. 

She didn’t get a chance to say goodbye but would want her friends to know that she would be looking forward to the next great adventure.

Her life was defined by her art, creativity, drive, and love for learning.

 

An artist and avid reader, Judith made a mark on the St Arnaud art scene.

She brought vibrancy to the local community with her unique perspective on life.

 

In the 1970s, Judith, a restless spirit, ventured from country Victoria into the vast Australian outback.

There, she painted its essence while working as a teacher in remote Aboriginal communities.

Her love of the frontier country and its people are apparent in her art and stories.

 

She moved regularly, spending decades in the Northern Territory, teaching and working on the stations and towns throughout the state

before a time in Northern Tasmania and finally a return to country Victoria.

 

Judith has been a resident of St Arnaud for more than a decade.

For the restless spirit that she was, it seems that she had finally found a place to call home and a community to be a part of.

 

Her legacy will be remembered by those fortunate enough to have known her and her art will live on.

A part of us is gone – her sons Owen and Roger.

 

 

A gathering of family and friends will be held at the St Arnaud Raillery Hub at 11.00am on Saturday 23 March.
All are invited – light refreshments will be served.

 

Tributes

5 responses to “Judith Dawn Stratton Church”

  1. Susan Cameron says:

    Judy was an excellent teacher, inspired artist and one of the most interesting people I knew in Tennant Creek. We have some of her art still.
    I was sad to hear of her death, but she did not waste a minute of her life.

  2. Sally Wright says:

    Goodbye my dear friend, may you be flying high were ever you go.
    Coffee and cake won’t be the same.
    Love you lots, and proud to know you.

  3. Owen Church says:

    A gathering of family and friends will be held at the St Arnaud Raillery Hub at 11.00am on Saturday 23 March.
    All are invited – light refreshments will be served.

  4. Owen Church says:

    One of Mums favorite poems.

    CALL ME WHEN THE CROSS TURNS OVER.

    “I’m homing with a thousand head
    From Birdsville to Maree,
    The Southern Cross above my bed
    Knows where I want to be.

    Call me when the Cross turns over
    Up where the planets roam:
    One more watch is one watch fewer
    One more campfire nearer home.

    One turn more, you Milky Way…
    One more daybreak , one more sunset,
    There’ll be waiting love and kisses
    Warm white arms that bid me stay.

    The Pointers rise like bunyips eyes,
    From Birdsville to Maree,
    They chase the Cross around the skies
    And bring my love to me.

    Darcy Niland

  5. Kate Bell says:

    Dear Judi,
    You were my biggest role model/saviour during a pivotal time that changed my life forever when I was very young.
    You taught me to paint, play piano, plant trees and adventure.
    I am so honoured to have met you.
    No words can put into place just how much you meant to me.
    I will always hold our memories close.
    I hope you’re up with the birds and on your next adventure.
    Until we meet again
    Love Kate Bell from Steele St xx

Funeral Details

A private gathering will be held.