Talk:Emilia Hazelip

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Obituary From Jamie

There are never the right words for moments such as these so I shall just express my profound shock and sadness at the sudden death of Emilia Hazelip (1938-2003), who passed away in her sleep at Centre Hospitalier, Carcassonne, France last night.

Although Emilia had been in hospital since January 23rd undergoing tests for breathlessness and fatigue, there had been no indication of the gravity of the situation. Indeed, we visited Emilia last Thursday and, although, true to her feisty nature she was not enjoying the experience, there were signs of some improvement. On the phone to her on Friday there was even cause for celebration that the days tests had not turned up the feared terminal illness.

She leaves two daughters, two granddaughters and a third grandchild expected in a few days - the thought of joining her youngest daughter for the birth of her first baby helped Emilia cope with the ongoing tests.

However, Emilia also leaves the many, many people she has taught and helped toward a more sustainable form of farming. She taught the first Permaculture course here in France in 1985 and then took the Permaculture concept and introduced it to her native Spain, Portugal and Italy and it is in Italy where she has been spending much time in recent years enjoying the enthusiasm she has found there. She also gave a series of seminars on her 'Synergistic Farming' in North America in 1995 based upon her extensive knowledge of the agricultural systems of the Mayas of Mexico, the Berbers of North Africa, and the natural farming methods Masanobu Fukuoka. She has written several articles for the British based Permaculture UK and for the US Permaculture Activist Magazines, as well as producing the excellent "Synergistic Gardening" video. She was also involved in writing her first book, long awaited by the many people who followed her inspired agricultural methods.

I hope the last paragraph will not seem superfluous as I hope it shows the dedication, experience and invaluable knowledge this list and the wider world has lost with Emilia's passing. Her answers shone out on this list, composed of mainly enthusiastic beginners, for their clarity bred from years of experience.

And we, Anne, the two children and I have lost a recently found friend and a generous guide in our pursuit of a more sustainable life.

Jamie Souscayrous