Local woman Treena Lenthall passed away last week after a two-year battle with cancer. Her partner David Bradbury said she was an amazing woman, mother and activist, partner to him in life and his committed activist filmmaking as well as the closest and dearest friend to the many who knew and loved her.
David Bradbury
Treena went to Balmoral Highschool, graduated in Social Work at Queensland Uni in 1994 and then completed her BA majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies.
Treena’s heart lay in peace and social justice activism. After graduating she was part of a collective that worked to support marginalised people grappling with mental health and physical disabilities. The friends she made then, remained her best mates and were at her wedding last week, surrounding her with love in her final hours.
Treena was inspired by, and warmed to, former journalist-turned-activist Dorothy Day in the United States. Treena flew out of Brisbane in 1996 and travelled to the United States by herself. She stayed at various Catholic Worker houses in the US where she joined them in anti-war actions as well as helping the poor as she did for a brief stint at the Mullum Neighbourhood Centre.
On return to Australia, Treena quickly jumped back into activist actions. She was at the Jabiluka blockade in 1998. She and fellow activist Ciaron O’Reilly disabled a forklift used by the mining company to load yellowcake for export. They waited until the police arrived to arrest them. She used my documentary Jabiluka to defend herself in a Northern Territory court. That’s how we first ‘met’. But not in person. Alas, the magistrate was not impressed by Treena. She was ordered to pay the mining company $2,000 to repair their forklift, or go to gaol for two months. There was no way principled Treena was going to pay the mining company. So she went to gaol.
The NT gaols were pretty rough in the ’90s but Treena won the respect of inmates and acted as their scribe.
When East Timor won its independence in 1999, Treena jumped one of the first UN flights from Darwin to Dili and she campaigned for human rights for the East Timorese.
Treena and I met in 2005 at the first protests against the US-Aust Defence Forces Talisman Sabre bi-annual military exercises.
As highly respected American activist Kathy Kelly said of Treena: ‘I remember being wide-eyed with admiration when I first met Treena. She was so fresh, intelligent, friendly and energised.’
I think that sums up Treena to a T. Fresh, intelligent, sharp wit, friendly and energised. I was immediately besotted by her when I first met her at ‘the barricades’ in Rockhampton and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Which has been my privilege and good fortune. Not nearly long enough however. She was 51 when she died.
We had been engaged for three years intending to marry, but Treena’s battle with cancer intervened. She put ALL of her strength and might into fighting that. She told me in the last months of her life that if it was just her, she would accept her fate. ‘I’ve had an incredible life, many experiences far beyond what most have. And wonderful people and friends I’ve met. I’m only going through all this for Omar’s sake. I don’t want to “abandon” our son.’
You didn’t abandon him my darling. He knows who his Mamma is and how valiantly you fought to stay around here for him, even when the pain was crippling.
Omar and I were by her bedside when she passed.
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