Brongwyn was a soul struggling to overcome the twin gremlins of depression and mania. She struggled to stay on an even plane so that she could enjoy her art, her few friends and her home. She found her life becoming increasingly complex and her interactions with the world around her became more difficult as she was less understood by those in her immediate proximity.
If one could look past the superficial she was a person who had to learn to trust people again. She recognised that she could be a difficult person with whom to live. However, when she could speak with a person with whom she had trust, Brongwyn could be a different person. She was direct in speech and therefore could be challenging, but she was an honest person and to those she did trust she showed an openness that revealed her fears and sadnesses as well as the happinesses of those things she enjoyed achieving.
As an advocate for Brongwyn I could see in her the hurt of not being believed, of being categorised and labelled, of being socially isolated by an illness that many did not, or could not, fully understand. Brongwyn challenged the health service for what she felt was inappropriate behaviour. She felt that she did not receive justice, a point she made known to me. Now that her suffering is at an end and we can celebrate the life of Brongwyn I hope that we can bring about the justice that she sought in the latter years of her life.
