The softer side of life, by Thrity Cawasji

Driving into Swan Hill from Melbourne (there are no swans there, nor hills) was a breath of fresh air with beautiful wide clean roads lined on either side by wide green nature strips. It was breath taking, to say the least.

A population of just about 11,000 is perhaps why the place is so beautifully maintained with no litter, no dust and plenty of sprawling greens. It’s a small, laid-back city, and one wonders what holds people there and what they might do for a livelihood.

A consultation with a medical specialist calls for a five hour train ride into Melbourne. This I thought was as distanced as it can get until the next day we visited Nyah West- a little Township with just 400 inhabitants. It was a distressing sight . Beautiful but abandoned. Of the half dozen shops that would have seen better days, all but two had shutters down, forever forgotten, but perhaps leaving some memories etched in the minds of those who must have once called this place ‘home’.

And then, in this almost forgotten, serene place, I met 92 years old Lucy Dacey, sitting amongst the most beautifully amazing collection of more than 3000 dolls. Dacey sat proud in a beautiful pink dress watching over her babies from all parts of the world, measuring from a mere 3 inches to standing 3 feet tall or more - brunettes, blonds, blacks all under one roof . Dacey migrated from a suburb of Melbourne to Nyah west, with four little boys in tow . In her own words, the place was so peaceful and quiet, the couple ended up with seven more to follow… 9 sons and two daughters in all, many of who also made Nyah their home.

At 60, Dacey, done with all other responsibilities and with no more babies of her own, decided to bring home some pretty dolls, and there was no keeping count thereafter. Her collection grew over the past 3 decades and continues to grow. ‘Donors’, when they have outgrown their doll age, or are too old themselves, often leave their little celluloid babies in her care, knowing that they will find a place in this ever growing family of dolls. They are everywhere…. resting in laced prams in Dacey’s garden, around mini tea tables, perched up on shelves, or relaxing on Victorian style furniture.

After spending a couple of hours cooing over this most beautiful collection , and being well fed with an assortment of home made confectioneries, we drove on, with a renewed realization of what true happiness feels like. At 92, Dacey radiates happiness from within . This certainly has been a visit to remember.

Our stop the next day was at the Boga lake which saw a lot of action prior to and during World War II. One of the massive sea planes rests as an exhibit in a room above a concrete bunker, a bleek reminder of human destruction. What you see today is mesmerizing calm.

As I sat looking across the lake under a spotless blue sky, fastened there by the complete tranquility of nature, I thought, how often do we get an opportunity to be one with the universe, undisturbed by external clutter ? This was my moment.