Judith Durham and Resilience


Judith Durham is admired for many reasons. Resilience is amongst her most significant accomplishments. 

Judith Durham is a fighter. She understands the joy which her career will bring to other people. Judith won’t let personal circumstances get in the way of her fans’ joy.  

The Seekers Silver Jubilee 25 Year Reunion was extraordinary after decades apart. Yet Judith Durham watched her husband suffer from MND, losing movement. Ron Edgeworth was a pianist. The source of his happiness was the beautiful music, which his hands created. Ron accompanied Judith not just through life, but as a musical pianist and vocalist duo. MND would have made piano playing nearly impossible. One can only imagine the effort it took when Judith put aside the worry of looking after her immobile husband. She sung for a world of fans regardless. The fans needed her to lift their spirits up. This petite pop singer has the strength to soldier on.

Judith Durham continued her career with extraordinary strength in the past couple of years. Judith was performing for a Seekers 50th Anniversary Golden Jubilee Tour, when she had a sudden brain hemorrhage. I will never forget the moment, just a few days before I should have seen The Seekers in concert, when the newspaper told me Judith’s brain was bleeding. This moment must have been terrifying for those closest to her. I was almost ready to meet Judith when everything went on hold. Judith Durham, the nation’s angelic voice, was lucky to be alive.  She was relearning basic life skills. She got back into music because it’s what she knows. The tour now continues in Europe, showing the Carnival of life is not yet over.

The resilience of Judith Durham is as inspirational now as ever before. Some beloved loved ones are currently fighting for their health. Others have felt unbearably overwhelmed by the drama of life. Some of us are ready to give up on the world’s injustice. Nice lovely people are becoming unwell. Careers are struggling to get off the ground. We are living in a post-GFC world. The world needs encouragement to keep going. The world needs strong women like Judith Durham as role models.  

Just like Judith Durham brings joy to new generations, so you can too. Judith kept going, through the grief as a widow, and the life threatening illness. Some of us lost spouses and partners. Some of us lost jobs. Some of us are watching loved ones through experiences. Be like Judith. Push through your experiences, ready to serve people. Don’t let anything get in the way of what you can contribute to the world. Your support to others will be as powerful as Judith’s voice.


I will leave you with my own personal motto: What doesn’t kill you makes for a good story.  

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