Jenny Dodd
7/10/50 — 4/10/96
Jenny Dodd died at home on October 4 after a long fight with cancer.
Jenny's life was devoted to working with and helping others. Within a week of escaping to a women's refuge out of a difficult marriage many years ago, Jenny was helping to run that refuge. Later, she became part of a support group which ran an incest survivors group at the Women's House in Gertrude Street.
Despite having no formal qualifications, Jenny worked at Fitzroy Primary School teaching children with special problems and disabilities to read and write.
Jenny joined with other women to publish the first lesbian newspapers in Melbourne. Lesbiana is still running and has just celebrated its 50th issue. She also worked as a volunteer at the AIDS Council, supporting people suffering and dying from AIDS. Jenny started the first AIDS education courses for women, and the first discussion groups on safe sex and AIDS for lesbians. This work was not without opposition, but Jenny fought for it because she knew it was needed.
As Jenny fought her cancer, she also had to fight the medical system with its heavy, inappropriate and insensitive treatment. But she beat the doctors, learning more about her cancer and possible therapies than them. She fought for a medical system with some justice, for her personal dignity and for her own and other cancer patients' rights of independent decision-making to the last day of her life.
Throughout her courageous struggle to beat the cancer, Jenny kept working at school, kept involved with the union, kept informed on the land rights struggle and on political issues, and kept tracking in her beloved desert. Along the way, she also wrote a book about her experiences.
For her many friends in the struggles for human rights, Jenny's death is a great loss.
Manrico Moro