Vale Henry Jolson QC

[Eastdog]

Former Western Bulldogs Board member Henry Jolson has passed away. Sad news.

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/2013-10-14/vale-henry-jolson

[bornadog]

Condolences to family and friends.

Fantastic person, worked hard for the club. Met him at a few functions and so easy to talk to, loved his bulldogs, sad way to finish his life - will be missed.

[bornadog]

A humble man of dignity (http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/a-humble-man-of-dignity-20131018-2vsgq.html)

Great Article from Martin Flanagan

I first met Henry Jolson at Melbourne airport in June 2011 when we were flying to Israel to be part of the half-Israeli, half-Palestinian AFL Peace Team.
We talked for nearly an hour. All that I gleaned from the conversation was that he was a lawyer and a member of the board at the Western Bulldogs. That was all I learnt, because Henry, in his polite and thoughtful fashion, had been asking me questions. He was interested in some things I'd written and wanted to know more about why I thought as I did.

Henry died last Sunday, aged 66, of multiple myeloma. He was ill when we first met. I learnt this when we finally reached Israel and found our luggage was in another country. Tanya Oziel, the engine behind the Peace Team, put a hand to her mouth and said, ''Oh my God - Henry's medicine's in his luggage!'' I remember looking at Henry and not seeing panic, just a frown of concern.
Henry Jolson
Henry Jolson had talent and humility.

Henry was good-looking, a big bloke. At his funeral, I learnt that in his youth he shone at both cricket and athletics. That was one of many things I learnt about Henry at his funeral, like his numerous civic awards. I'd been to the Ajax Football Club and seen his photo on the wall, but, according to those who played with him, like AFL chief medical officer Harry Unglik, Henry was more than just a good club footballer.

Unglik watched Wayne Carey's career from the boundary as North Melbourne club doctor, so his opinion on this matter is worth noting. ''Henry was a natural centre-half forward,'' he says. ''Strong mark, beautiful kick''. One season Henry won the competition best and fairest after playing only 10 games.
Fitzroy and Carlton both wanted him but after captaining Ajax to a premiership and winning the club best and fairest, Henry, still in his mid-20s, retired. ''He had young kids and was starting his legal practice,'' recalls Harry.

I liked Henry from the start, but if I'd only met him that once I would have underestimated him. It's not enough to say Henry believed in humility - he lived it in an almost-religious way. I eventually concluded that being good at just about everything, Henry wasn't easily threatened by his fellow human beings.
Henry's parents were Holocaust survivors who stressed the importance of education. ''You can have everything taken from you,'' Henry was told, ''but they can never take your education.''

The family was poor; Henry got to Melbourne High and Monash University, where he studied law, on scholarships. British and Australian law is based on the notion of the reasonable man. That was Henry - the reasonable man who didn't panic. He married the beautiful Carolyn; they had four handsome children. He became a member of the Order of Australia and was named as a Legend of the Victorian bar.

With time, I discovered Henry and I had the same political hero - Abraham Lincoln. Henry had concluded, like Lincoln, that lawyers should try and settle disputes rather than profit from escalating them. He believed in arbitration. Henry reckoned people really wanted to get on and that a lawyer's job was to help them do so. That's how he got caught up in the Peace Team.

The Peace Team was an amazing creation. I liken it to a boat. Tanya Oziel was the outboard motor who got it going and kept it going, Robert 'Dipper'' DiPierdomenico was the skipper and Henry was the figurehead. Henry spoke for us on formal occasions but it was more than that. He embodied the aspirations of the team.

Henry was a true gentleman who saw the dignity in others and acted accordingly. I wrote once that Henry reminded me of Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, that iconic American novel set in the racial divide that was the American south in the 1930s. Atticus Finch, the town lawyer, is guided by a sense of human dignity like Henry's and has the courage to act on his beliefs.

Going to Israel with Henry is a blur of memories. Last week, when I asked him what he remembered most about the trip, he surprised me by saying, ''learning more about Christianity''. But that was Henry - always seeking to learn more about how others thought.

His fondest memory was the night we had in the Arab quarter of the old city of Jerusalem. ''It didn't matter who you were,'' he said, ''Jew, Palestinian, whatever …'' When a group of roistering young Israeli soldiers came through, waving an Israeli flag and loudly singing one of their marching songs, Henry was dismayed. ''Why be provocative?'' he said. One of the most moving messages Henry received in the last week of his life was from a Palestinian member of the team.

Another night in Jerusalem, I gave a speech on what I had learnt from the reconciliation movement in Australia. As I finished, Henry rushed from his seat and embraced me. I said I loved him and he jumped back startled, but I'm glad I told him. Together, we went to the Western Wall, one of the holiest places in Judaism.
Not long before he died, Henry said to me, ''You've influenced me and I'd like to think I've influenced you.'' How could you not have influenced me, Henry? I know a champion when I see one.

[LostDoggy]

Wow.

[strebla]

Wow.

Yup !!!

[LostDoggy]

What a wonderful man. Especially interested in the Israel story (of which I was ignorant) as I met my husband there back in '84. A very special place for me. Blessings to Mr Jolson's family and friends.

[Doc26]

Thanks for posting BD. A very good article. Quite uplifting.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Thanks for posting BD. A very good article. Quite uplifting.

I had the pleasure of meeting Henry on a number of occasions and he was a fine person. Always a gentleman and will be sadly missed. A great eulogy by Martin Flanagan being typical of how he inspired others in his presence.
Vale Henry Jolson QC.