This week has been a tough one for the people of Lismore, as two leading women of the district were laid to rest on the same day, following two massive public funerals.
With rain threatening from the east, skies stayed clear for Jenny Dowell’s ceremony at the Quad, between three institutions she loved, the Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore Conservatorium and the Lismore Library. The grassy area was full of mourners, many wearing Jenny’s signature red, with those who couldn’t be there watching via the livestream provided by Binney Funerals, still available to view here.
As was the case with the ceremony for Aunty Rhoda Roberts, held later in the day, the former mayor of Lismore Jenny Dowell was able to design her own funeral, including choosing the music. Both women died from cancer, with their families close by, in the region that they loved.
Remembering Jenny
Everyone attending Jenny Dowell’s funeral was given a memorial bookmark and a heart. Two special tributes were placed on her coffin, her Order of Australia medal and ‘her most precious possession’, her Jenny Dowell tea towel.
Those in attendance included Jenny’s family, local and state political representatives, and people who had come to know the former mayor of Lismore in many different ways over her time in the district.
Proceedings were officiated by Dot Orchard, who opened by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land and paying respect to elders. ‘Thank you for the honour and the privilege to lead you today in the celebration of her life,’ she said.
‘The family want this celebration today of Jenny’s life not to be a sad one, but to share memories and celebrate her wonderful life. And on behalf of the family, we welcome you to these beautiful surroundings,’ continued Ms Orchard.
‘Some wonderful messages have been sent to Jenny – she read every single one of them up until the day that she died. She felt so loved…
‘Jenny was important and special to each one of you in different ways. She was very open with people she met, and very protective of them. But Jenny would also do it with kindness and grace and dignity and the generosity of wanting to help people.
‘She had years of public scrutiny and was aware of the high pressure environment that she worked with most of the time. She was willing to take on other people’s problems, just as she was able to help others. You don’t have to be loud, perfect or have it all figured out, but Jenny made a difference in people’s lives.
‘She was such a wonderful organiser and held many positions of office in many clubs within the community. There are just too many to mention, but she was very proud, and she was held in high esteem by many people. She touched the lives of most of you here today in this community, and most of all, she was loved by her family.’
Optimism
Dot Orchard continued: ‘What I admire most about Jenny was her unwavering optimism.
‘Even in the face of tough challenges, she remained resilient, finding light in the darkest of moments and being a pillar of strength and encouragement for everyone around her, especially her family and including me.
‘So this morning is when we remember the time shared, the fun times, the hard times and the good times. And we’re all here to say farewell to Jenny. For those of us who are fortunate to have known her, death in a number of ways, unites us all…’
Ms Orchard described Jenny Dowell’s origins in Victoria as Jennifer Adamson, her early desire to be a teacher, her love of books, and her early encounters with kids from many cultures when the family moved to an industrial part of Melbourne.
‘She had to represent the school in the inter-school athletics carnival at Olympic Park in Melbourne. She was no athlete, and she vowed she would never run again. Imagine her and her family’s surprise when she took up running in her 60s, even winning gold medals in the seniors divisions!’
After studying at Geelong Teachers College, Jenny Dowell became a teacher of deaf children, then met her future husband Ron in 1979. They were engaged in September, married in December, and later had two children, Tim and Georgie.
When Ron accepted a job as a lecturer in the tourism school at Southern Cross University, in 1991, the family moved to Lismore. Jenny became involved in local politics in 2003 and was elected as a councillor in 2004.
Mayor of Lismore
‘Jenny ran for mayor in 2008 and was elected. It’s for others to judge her legacy as mayor, but from the very first meeting at a councillor in 2004 she felt she’d come home and that her life had prepared her for this time of community service,’ said Dot Orchard.
‘Most people here know she was diagnosed with breast cancer four days after the 2008 election, and only one day after she was officially declared mayor she faced a mastectomy and four rounds of chemo, but her new role gave her focus and purpose, and after seven years of treatment, she was declared cancer free…
‘Ron retired in 2013 and Jen decided to join him in 2016 and not run for council again.’
After getting heavily involved in Parkrun, and doing a series of increasingly long bushwalks, as well as overseas trips, Jenny Dowell’s cancer unexpectedly returned in March 2025, with stage four metastatic breast cancer in her spine.
‘There was no cure, just management,’ Ms Orchard said. ‘The nausea, weight loss, extreme fatigue and low energy was very hard for Jenny, and in January, 2006 she gave up all treatment and opted for voluntary assisted dying.
‘Jen thanks her GP, her oncologist, the palliative care team and the wonderful VAD staff and crew.’
After Jenny’s son Tim shared some family memories, including a letter from Jen’s younger brother, Lindsay, Lismore’s former Deputy Mayor Simon Clough went to the podium to share his experiences of Jenny Dowell.
Extraordinary commitment
‘Jenny had an extraordinary role in local government,’ said Mr Clough. ‘I can’t cover everything, but let me start by talking about Jen’s commitment. Not only did Jen have breast cancer two days after becoming mayor in 2008, but she chose to take the path of committing herself to Council, rather than an extended period of treatment.
‘That meant she missed one council meeting in that whole period of her cancer treatment, an extraordinary commitment to our community…
‘For Jenny, love was not a noun, it was a verb. She saw love as something that you actually did in every way and in every day and every part of your life. And it was very obvious to us all that that’s where she came from, that was her motivation,’ he said.
‘I’ve lived in this community most of my life, and I think certainly prior to Jenny, there was somewhat of an inferiority complex in Lismore. And there’s a word that I would hate to hear again, “Lismoron”, but people used it in those days.
‘Some were somewhat cynical, calling Jenny “Jenny Everywhere”, because of the number of meetings she went to, but they didn’t realise the big picture. Jenny went to four, five, six meetings a day. Can you imagine that, for five days a week and sometimes six?
‘And she didn’t go to have tea and scones. She researched that organisation. She knew what their needs were, she knew the names of the people there, and she helped them. She raised them, she uplifted them. And it wasn’t just one organisation. It was one after another, after another…
‘She uplifted our community. We moved from Lismorons to Lovemore, and a lot of that was Jenny’.
Coal seam gas
Simon Clough continued, ‘Our community was deeply threatened by coal seam gas, and in 2009 Jen took the lead. I thought I understood quite a lot about the environment and energy, but I was still working through coal seam gas.
‘Meanwhile, Jen had gone to a parliamentary committee that was investigating coal seam gas and said, “No, we don’t want it. It’s bad for our farmland. It’s bad for our farmers. It’s bad for our community. Go away.”
‘Well, it was extraordinary. She was way ahead of her time, but it didn’t finish there. Jen committed herself to the fight against coal seam gas. She went to so many meetings, so many gatherings where people committed their community to opposing coal seam gas…
‘We did a poll that showed that 87.9 per cent of people are opposed. A lot of that was Jen’s leadership and commitment,’ he said.
‘We’re standing here at the Art Gallery. Jen worked absolutely to the bone to get the funding for the new art gallery. It’s such a central part of our community, as the Quad has become. And of course, she was also heavily involved in the library, and also the Conservatorium.’
Other causes and awards
Mr Clough explained that Jenny Dowell was also heavily committed to Lismore’s sister city in Japan, rural landholders, and fluoride for public water, which became a divisive issue locally.
He said that in the addition to the Order of Austraila, she was awarded the Local Government Woman of the Year Award, and an honorary doctorate from Southern Cross University for her work with the community.
‘After 2016 when she decided to retire, Jen, of course, didn’t retire, and her role became very much mentoring mayors and local government councillors across New South Wales. She mentored some 40 mayors in that period, for eight years she did that, and she also did orientation days for people who had a desire to be councillor…
‘I’d just like to conclude by reading some words by the journalist Terra Sword,’ said Mr Clough. ‘She responded to me in this way: “Jenny was a true statesman and lived and breathed the philosophy that society’s worth is based on how you treat the most vulnerable.
‘”She was a friend to everyone in the Lismore community, thorough to a fault, a stickler for detail and process, and she garnered universal respect for treating people with empathy and humanity and conducting herself with integrity and poise. She was not populist, and at times, her beliefs and political stance were unpopular, but it was this unswerving commitment to her values and principles that made Jenny special.
‘”People knew she led from the heart and was always ethical, honest and open. She was admired and deeply beloved by her community, and is an extraordinary example of how one can become truly great by attending to everyday acts with pride and effort and imbuing grace, wisdom and humor in even the smallest of moments.
‘”She was a giant among humans, and her enduring legacy is one of love, leaving in her wake a world that is kinder and more compassionate because of her presence within it.”
Simon Clough concluded by saying, ‘What an extraordinary role model she has been in this time of chaos, war, rising, petrol prices. People in genuine trouble need to think of Jenny and how she managed her life, and use that as a model. You can’t go wrong.’
Find some joy in every day
Jenny’s husband Ron Dowell then read a message which Jenny wrote specially for the funeral gathering, fighting back his tears.
‘Just as I was open with my first cancer diagnosis in 2008, I chose to be open this time too,’ he read. ‘Someone asked me last year if I was angry that I’d been told I was cancer free after my first bout but honestly, no, I’m so grateful to have had 17 wonderful years doing things I’d never imagined doing, and grateful to have had the time to spend with family, good friends and getting my life in order over the past ten months.
‘Thank you to Ron, Georgie and Tim, my extended family, my close friends, near and far, and those I’ve spent time with over a cuppa in the past year, and the many that are here today. You have helped me immensely…
‘It’s been tough, and I have some regrets, but I’ve learned to slow down, say no and be in the moment. Finally, my message to you is find some joy in every day, be interested in the people you meet, and be brave to embrace new opportunities.
‘Goodbye and thank you all.’
Thank you Jenny
A collection of photographs from Jenny Dowell’s life played on the screens, to music she chose, including Jeff Buckley’s version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ and Luke Vassella’s tribute song, ‘Thank You Jenny’.
‘Jenny’s life was a blessing, her memory a treasure,’ concluded Dot Orchard.
The mourners then left tributes of various kinds, including leaves from Jenny’s own garden, on her coffin. She was carried to the hearse, with over 700 viewing the livestream of the event at this stage.
Jenny was later cremated, according to her wishes.
In lieu of flowers, Jenny Dowell asked anyone wishing to donate something in her honour to support the Cancer Council, via this link. In recent months Jenny gave a series of interviews to The Echo about her public and private life. These are available here.
Thank you Jenny.
For coverage of Aunty Rhoda Roberts’ funeral, please follow this link.
More photos from the funeral of Jenny Dowell:
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