Sue Ravine passed away peacefully on Sunday, 30 January, after a very determined five-year battle with ovarian cancer. Although Sue was a quiet and very private person, she made an enormous contribution to many causes away from the limelight and behind lighting desks and other machinery.
Sue was one of the 12 founding committee members at the inauguration of what was then Lesbian and Gay Pride WA, in 1993, and a volunteer of legendary dedication for many years afterwards. Prior to her involvement with Pride, Sue had a long history of passionate activism, including as one of the protesters at the renowned Sound Women’s Peace Camp at Garden Island in 1984.
Sue first took an interest in Pride as a clean-up volunteer for its first independent post-parade party in 1992. She was soon honing the skills that made her an indispensable cog in the party sub-committee for many years and a fountain of immense knowledge on how to run a great event.
One of Sue’s most memorable exploits, for those involved in Pride at the time, was taking on some gatecrashers at the 1995 Money Street post-parade party. When a still-notorious Northbridge identity turned up with his posse of hangers-on, demanding to be allowed in for free and threatening violence, Sue challenged him when even the local constabulary went weak at the knees at the mention of his name.
Sue’s handiwork and distinctive handwriting could be found for many issues in the long-running women’s monthly newsletter, Grapevine. For some years in the days before affordable A3 laser printers, Sue also did the paste-up at Perth’s then gay and lesbian newspaper, The Westside Observer, working through the night to get the paper to print on time.
After a few visits to Sydney for Mardi Gras, Sue was inspired to take up lighting design at the WA Academy of Performing Arts, where she was a star pupil. Those who attended the legendary Pride parties staged from the mid-Nineties to the early Noughties were treated to some of her magical lighting designs. She later went on to work the lights at Connections as well as concerts and theatre productions big and small.
After her diagnosis, while working for the Perth International Arts Festival in 2006, Sue retired to spend her remaining time with her adored animals at her much-loved home in Rivervale.
There is not enough space to do justice to Sue Ravine’s life, but her passing is a great loss to her family, friends and the world on which she trod so lightly.
Sue was laid to rest in a private burial at her request. Her family and friends will celebrate her life at Adachi Park beside the Swan River in Belmont from 4pm on Friday February 11, 2011.
