Jackie Marshall - Tits Up !
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“I’m starting a jazz band, by the way.” It never comes a much of a surprise when Jackie Marshall drops a line like that into a conversation. Or any number of variations of the theme. There’s always something new with Jackie. It takes time, sometimes years. But she gets there, makes shit happens, blows minds, frustrates, loves, fights, get it done and then, what now?
What was a little different this time around though was the timing. No more than an hour ago Jackie was sitting in a Spring Hill specialist office. One of those boxy buildings on the hill where lives take any number of turns. Have done for decades. Austere furniture. Clunky stainless lift. Ashtrays still bolted to the ancient toilet wall. She was there to get the kind of news no one wants. It’s breast cancer and, by the looks of things, it ain’t screwing around. Tonight she confronted a reality that changes everything. Tests, surgery, chemo, radiation. It’s all on the cards. And what does Jackie tell me? She’s going to start another band. And that’s why we love her so.
A week ago I sat around a backyard campfire sipping whisky from a bottle and ignoring the fact we would have to leave, eventually. It was a magic night. At some point I looked around me and took in the incredible talent around me. Deb Suckling, Aine Tyrrell, Melanie Horsnell, Lucie Thorne, Sarah Carroll…honestly a moment. Conversation was scattered, noisy. It was a party. But the one time every came together was talking about Jack. The love, the admiration, the deep seated respect for Jackie was palpable. I’ve seen that for years. We all knew storm clouds were brewing for Jackie again. Like she needs more shit.
Not many of you know the shape of Jackie’s life. It’s not been the smoothest of highways. This isn’t her first dance with ‘The Big C’. She’s bettered it once before. She’s a survivor. We thought we lost her a while back, when the black dog was frothing at the mouth and all but chased her from our lives. But she came back, bigger and badder than ever. If that’s possible. Which is maybe what makes this all the more cruel. The Jackie I have seen the past 12 months has been a revelation. Sure, there are shit days but it’s like she found another gear. The songs are coming, The voice clear and proud. And what a beautiful mum.
And she needs you. Jackie is not the kind of person to knock on doors. Pull favours. Cash in the karma chips. So we are doing it for her. It’s hard sometimes to think about how you can help. It’s overwhelming at times. But this is one of those times where hitting a button or scrolling through emojis is not enough. The reality is that despite our health system, helping Jackie beat this is going to take all the resources she can muster. You can’t busk yourself into an MRI suite. A single mum and an artist – I think that financially perilous state of affairs cracks her up.
There will be a bunch of events we will we be talking about over the coming months. But for the minute, please give what you can and share far and wide. From Dubbo to the streets of Eastern Europe Jackie has touched so many lives. And with your help, will many more. Besides, Jackie’s may be one jazz band I actually want to see.
Craig Spann
What was a little different this time around though was the timing. No more than an hour ago Jackie was sitting in a Spring Hill specialist office. One of those boxy buildings on the hill where lives take any number of turns. Have done for decades. Austere furniture. Clunky stainless lift. Ashtrays still bolted to the ancient toilet wall. She was there to get the kind of news no one wants. It’s breast cancer and, by the looks of things, it ain’t screwing around. Tonight she confronted a reality that changes everything. Tests, surgery, chemo, radiation. It’s all on the cards. And what does Jackie tell me? She’s going to start another band. And that’s why we love her so.
A week ago I sat around a backyard campfire sipping whisky from a bottle and ignoring the fact we would have to leave, eventually. It was a magic night. At some point I looked around me and took in the incredible talent around me. Deb Suckling, Aine Tyrrell, Melanie Horsnell, Lucie Thorne, Sarah Carroll…honestly a moment. Conversation was scattered, noisy. It was a party. But the one time every came together was talking about Jack. The love, the admiration, the deep seated respect for Jackie was palpable. I’ve seen that for years. We all knew storm clouds were brewing for Jackie again. Like she needs more shit.
Not many of you know the shape of Jackie’s life. It’s not been the smoothest of highways. This isn’t her first dance with ‘The Big C’. She’s bettered it once before. She’s a survivor. We thought we lost her a while back, when the black dog was frothing at the mouth and all but chased her from our lives. But she came back, bigger and badder than ever. If that’s possible. Which is maybe what makes this all the more cruel. The Jackie I have seen the past 12 months has been a revelation. Sure, there are shit days but it’s like she found another gear. The songs are coming, The voice clear and proud. And what a beautiful mum.
And she needs you. Jackie is not the kind of person to knock on doors. Pull favours. Cash in the karma chips. So we are doing it for her. It’s hard sometimes to think about how you can help. It’s overwhelming at times. But this is one of those times where hitting a button or scrolling through emojis is not enough. The reality is that despite our health system, helping Jackie beat this is going to take all the resources she can muster. You can’t busk yourself into an MRI suite. A single mum and an artist – I think that financially perilous state of affairs cracks her up.
There will be a bunch of events we will we be talking about over the coming months. But for the minute, please give what you can and share far and wide. From Dubbo to the streets of Eastern Europe Jackie has touched so many lives. And with your help, will many more. Besides, Jackie’s may be one jazz band I actually want to see.
Craig Spann
Organizer
Deb Suckling
Organizer
Ashgrove, QLD