Tributes flow for 'creative, bold, fierce' artist and musician Kate Gane

Published in the Warrnambool Standard 30th October 2021 

   
Bold, creative, fierce, kind. These are just some of the words used to describe Kate Gane, a local artist and musician who passed away last week, just shy of age 50. Her passion for her community was strong right until the end; even through radiation treatment for breast cancer she continued to advocate for a better world, her mum Janet O'Hehir said. "She was very much a champion of any sort of injustice," Ms O'Hehir said."While she was having radiation treatment in the Geelong hospital she was coordinating that whole petition against the destruction of the birthing trees. She had to hand that over to other people to manage it but she put those hundreds of thousands of signatures together to try and deal with that.She was really always championing those kinds of things." Kate was born in the Warrnambool Base Hospital in December, 1972. She attended Jamieson Street State School and Brauer College before studying at the Victorian College of the Arts and Deakin University. She achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Deakin University and a Master of Transnational Art at the University of Melbourne. "She was the happiest child ever, she was always a bright spirit and interested in everything," Ms O'Hehir said.Her involvement in the arts was long and far-reaching, thanks to the active music and art community in Warrnambool in her childhood.She was part of all-girl punk band Tukan Sam in the '90s; was the director of the Tarerer Indigenous music festival and played and volunteered for many years at the Port Fairy Folk Festival - most recently singing with the Southern Ocean Sea Band.Long-time friend and bandmate Jordan Lockett said Ms Gane could light up any room she walked into.That saying often gets thrown around but she really did," Mr Lockett said. "She was such a bubbly person, and fiercely passionate about feminism, women's rights, the arts, the environment, Indigenous issues and connecting to country and she taught me about so many things - like cooking and birds. She was a really deep person, she really felt emotions more than anyone I've ever met. She was an artist in the truest sense of the word." The pair met on the music scene in 1998 and stayed close friends ever since. She was part of the Southern Ocean Sea Band since its first Folkie gig in 2016 and played a big part in songwriting for the band. "She really helped tell the story of Annie Baxter and used to morph into Annie Baxter when she sang this particular song which was always really powerful," Mr Lockett said. "In every facet of her way she was always really creative and bold and passionate and not afraid to speak her mind."She created public art projects in collaboration with Indigenous artists, including the eel floor project at Brophy Warrnambool and the mother whale project in Patloch Lane with Kirrae Whurrong artist Fiona Clarke.Tributes are being left in the lane in honour of her legacy.Ms Clarke said Kate was like family."I have three sisters but Kate was like my own blood sister," she said. "She was a wonderful, beautiful person, I loved her so much."I remember back in 2015 when she called me one night to say she'd found a lump."She fought for a while. We would talk about other things to keep her smiling and laughing and happy and she said she needed all that. "Things like that bought her back up again even when she was feeling down. But she was a fighter and she always stood up for Warrnambool artist Glenn Morgan taught Kate art and was blown away by her talent."She was a beautiful drawer Katie, really talented and smart," he said. "She had a fantastic laugh and sense of humour and filled every room with positivity."He recalled visiting Kate in hospital when she was receiving treatment at the same time as his father. Out of quite a dark place with two people unwell we had a really good time, she was a lovely person. She will be really missed." While always a south-west girl at heart, Kate lived all over Australia and the world, including as Warrnambool's ambassador in Miura, Japan for two years and wrote regular columns for The Standard during that time.She returned to live with her family in Camperdown when she became unwell around six years ago. "She was diagnosed six years ago but of course after the initial treatment, everyone thought that was going to be fine," Ms O'Hehir said. "So it was only in the last sort of 12 months that they diagnosed the metastasis, and that's when she had a lot of intensive treatment."As an artist she was open about her journey with cancer. In 2017 she had a solo exhibition at Warrnambool Art Gallery called 'Body of Conflict' about her breast cancer experience."She was an artist. She was about communication through art and about exploring her experiences. She was very open and courageous." Gallery director Vanessa Gerrans described her contribution to the cultural life of Warrnambool as "extraordinary". "As an artist working in performance, film, sound, music, installation and photography Kate touched those she encountered with her warm generous spirit, unbridled energy and passion," Ms Gerrans said on behalf of the gallery team."Kate cared deeply. Culturally, environmentally, creatively, fiercely. "From her time in legendary all girl band Tukan Sam in the 1990s to her solo exhibition at WAG in 2017 with Bodies of Conflict, Kate has given herself permission to be totally authentic, honest and vulnerable."She focused on projects that would 'strengthen our human connections to each other and our surroundings, by creating sacred spaces that are a conduit for peace, the exchange of ideas, energy, dreams and change'. "We will miss Kate's beautiful spirit."Her passion for the environment saw her arrested in the Otway National Park at a logging demonstration. She was later acquitted at Geelong Magistrates Court. "Not a lot of people know about her criminal history," her mum said with a laugh. Kate passed away on Sunday, October 24, the treasured daughter of Janet and sister of Bart and Eben, loved and adored by Garry, Kelly, Henry and Audrey. She was a much-loved daughter, sister, stepdaughter, aunty and friend. A tribute concert is being organised to celebrate Kate at St Brigid's Crossley, where friends and family of the dynamic artist will be welcome to celebrate her extraordinary life.