April Blog 2026
Part three
April: A Month of Love, Loss, and Living
April has been quite the month — full of hammering, heartache, and everything in between.
My husband and I finally tackled the last room in our home renovation journey – the sunroom. With both an outside wall and interior walls to deal with, we were at the mercy of the weather. But my husband, ever the clever one, had a brilliant solution: he pre-framed all the walls in advance so that when the good weather arrived, we could hit the ground running. Slowly but surely, it’s all coming together.
In the middle of all of this, my father passed away.
For those of you who have read my first book “But I Thought”, you’ll already know a little of our family’s story and the complicated, tender place my father held in it. My brother called me, straight after I stepped off air from my Tuesday breakfast show, and told me to fly up as soon as possible, I caught the next available flight.
Dad was in a coma when I arrived at the hospital. But I truly believe he knew we were there. My brother and I sang to him, and he moved his hand as we did. That moment will stay with me forever. He passed away a few hours later, and I am so grateful I made it in time. I lost the chance to say goodbye to my Mum, and that has never left me, so to have had those final hours with Dad means more than I can put into words.
Dad was well prepared, bless him. He had pre-paid his cremation and his will was in order. Even so, there is so much to organise when someone passes. So many people to call, so much paperwork. (The hospital provides a checklist booklet, and honestly, it is a lifesaver). If you think you’ve called everyone, you haven’t…and that’s okay.
We’ve since held the wake, and like all good family gatherings, much like weddings, it brought together faces I hadn’t seen in 20, 30, even more years. For a little while, the busyness of hellos and hugs and shared memories softens the grief. That is, until the photo-montage plays. I thought putting it together meant I’d already done my crying.
I had not.
One thing this month has taught me: take more photos. We all have cameras in our pockets, use them. You’ll never regret it.
Rest in peace, Dad. 💙 4.2.1935 – 16.4.2026
On a lighter note, I am really looking forward to “The Jazz Room” happening at the Hobart Town Hall on Friday 8th May. I will have the pleasure of performing with Dan Sulz on piano, Nigel Hope on bass, Tom Robb on drums and Malcolm Martin on Trumpet. Such a great line up of musicians.
Then on the 9th and 10th of May I will be at the Indi Book Fair at Salamanca. I plan to sleep in on the Monday morning.
Cheers
K