Milestone marked for Gales

Columnist Andrew Gale has a chat about milestones

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Andrew Gale reflects on his family tree as they all came together for his eldest son's wedding. Picture: Contributed

THERE was a big family milestone last week. Our eldest son got married. A major event for him and his beautiful bride.

A big milestone in my wife and my life too. We got one off to his next stage in life. Yoo-hoo. One down, six more to go.

It was a cold day, but I love winter weddings. Mostly because it suits the stuffy attire we choose to wear to such events. In winter, you can get dressed up in the old "bag of fruit” and tie and not sweat to death.

Summer weddings are nice, you just have to keep a closer eye on the fluid level and top them up regularly.

This wedding was a big event on my particular branch of the Gale family tree, not just because it was the first wedding of one of our offspring, but also because it was the first family gathering since the passing of my father almost two years ago.

My brother and his wife and son were there along with grandma Bonnie, but sadly, no poppy Paul.

All our boys resplendent in jackets and ties and a suitable lovely outfit for darling sissy too. All the other Gale girls scrubbed beautifully as they always do.

Lots of other friends and family were there too but the room still seemed a bit empty without dad.

A man who had always strived to look after his physical health, only to die from a disease of the brain. Tragically, at the beginning of what should been his lengthy "golden years”.

My brother and I shed a quiet tear as we spoke of him.

We spoke about other family occasions and weddings including our own and then both of us came to a realisation.

I was now the "patriarch” of our tribe, and both he and I are the senior uncles of the family as well.

The ones we used to look at with a mixture of bemusement and awe at family gatherings.

We took to our new stations in the family with relative ease.

We have both been practising for the role for a couple of decades, I was later informed by heads far wiser than ours.

We sang, danced with the bride and our wives, made speeches, drank too much beer and quite a bit of wine.

We played and joked with our kids, nieces and nephews and tried hard not drop the baby. We also managed, I hope, to keep it all family friendly and G-rated.

The various Gale families have all gone back home. The bride and groom back to Townsville. Brother and his family back to Melbourne and grandma off to the Kimberley. It will be way too long until we are all together again.

Our family tree has lots of branches, all going their own way they all started at the trunk.

The firmly rooted strength of the tree that bonds us all together and holds us all, ultimately, inseparable.

I love all of them. To the ones who are no longer with us, I miss you guys. And the ones who have yet to come into the world - I can't wait to meet you.

Originally published as Milestone marked for Gales