Two out of the three day long weekend for Denise and I was spent driving down to Albany on the south coast to attend the 60th wedding anniversary of one of my father’s cousins and his wife. From the day I arrived in Western Australia in 2006 this couple have made me feel very welcome and very much part of the family. They are simply gorgeous people for whom I have a great deal of time and respect and in anyone’s eyes being married for 60 years is a huge achievement. It was an absolute honour to be part of their celebrations and lovely to catch up with so many of my Australian relatives. My confidence at gatherings like that has grown so much over the last twelve months and I never once worried if I looked okay or what anybody else thought of me, I did however have a moment when I didn’t quite expect the reply I received when I greeted someone whom I have known for at least twelve years, don’t see regularly, usually only at family gatherings but who somehow had slipped through the net and did not know of my transitioning. It could have been a difficult moment but they were lovely, after an opening line of “sorry, do I know you?” Then I could see the cogs start turning but I felt it best to come clean and reply, yes, Stephanie, as in used to be Robin? They had no idea of what I had done so a very very brief explanation followed and there were numerous hugs from them both. We had the pleasure of sitting on the “close relatives” table for the luncheon and the conversation never stopped. It was such an easy atmosphere full of love and admiration for the couple of the moment who both took a turn with the microphone and spoke with great ability about their lives and journey.
All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable event, the second of which I have attended with the family in two weeks. The first one was in Yorkshire on May 20th. Although the occasion had a sad part as the gathering was for the scattering of the ashes of another of my Father’s cousins in the churchyard at Harpham, it was followed by light refreshments at the local pub where I met up with lots of people I haven’t seen for many years. Every one of them was supportive of my journey and interested in my story, some knew a little and some knew a lot of it but there was not one who had anything negative to say only full of encouragement and even some admiration for what I have done. The overall feeling was a sense of acceptance, after all I am the same person just in slightly different packaging and a good deal happier.