Paul ‘Dook’ Hinchcliffe – Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt panel

Rectangular quilt panel, portrait orientation, white cotton background. 'PAUL' is appliquéd in large lime green letters at the top of the panel. Below is a black rectangle with the white felt appliquéd letters 'ZZ.000'. The dates '62-91' are stylised and appliquéd in coloured felt. A yellow vinyl snake decorated with green dots, purple triangles, black squiggles and with a red black and purple triangular shaped 'end' is below these dates. 'Dook' is appliquéd in black felt. There is a row of red hearts is on the lower right hand corner with a square of black stripes and dashes symbolising a bar code. Blue stripes made of narrow ribbon radiate out from the left side of the quilt. A sewn label with 'Roger Tait' is in the bottom right hand corner. This panel was made by a Paul's close friend Roger. He made the quilt in Sydney. The panel maker Roger wrote the following information about Paul. 'I met Paul Hinchcliffe at a house party in Cascade St Paddington, it was Australia Day 1987. A friend of mine was living there at the time and he was hosting his birthday party, it seemed that Paul and I had many mutual friends. I clearly remember talking with Paul out the front of this house and this is where he asked me if I wanted to go on a date with him. I was unsure and Paul was very charmingly persuasive. Paul lived in Kirribilli and one week night I went over to meet with him and we went for a meal somewhere on the north side, maybe Cremorne. Over the following months we spent a lot of time together, meeting each other's friends and hanging out. On two occasions Paul took me skiing, one of his loves. Even though I'm Scottish I'd never been skiing. Paul was very proficient so we spent most of the day apart, he on the black runs at Perisher and me in the beginner's class lol. These were great fun times, though I wasn't very impressed when we had to sleep in the car. Paul's nickname for me was Dookie. He had the name carved from timber, I still have it. Paul had a penchant for the fast and dangerous. He drove a black turbo car and his ZZZ plates were well known for hooning around the streets of Kirribilli and Darlinghurst. One of his stunts was pulling the handbrake on while travelling at 80klm, exhilarating for him and terrifying for his passengers. Once on the way to the movies in Paddington he was going so fast up Albion St he almost ran someone down. Paul was also a pilot and we went flying once, I'd never seen him sweat so profusely. Paul loved to get away. Sometimes we used to drive to Garie Beach in the National Park south of Sydney and sleep in the back of the car. I think he used to do things like this alone too, he loved getting away and his own time. We went away together on weekends too, it was our time together. Paul was a gentle guy with a soft heart, a Leo (like me). He had piercing dark eyes, one of them attractively skew, with long lashes and rosy cheeks, he was so handsome. He was very friendly and popular and had many loyal friends in and out of work. He worked in advertising and chose to keep work separate from his private life though I remember he was much loved by his colleagues. Paul and I drifted along together and apart then together again. I'm unclear of what happened at the end, anyway it's not so relevant as we were always friends, I always felt close to him and still do. Paul started to become unwell and from memory moved home to Port Douglas and was cared for by his family and friends. I lost touch with him during this time but think he stayed in Queensland until he came back to Sydney to see his friends, it was like a farewell. Paul had organised a gathering in the Botanical Gardens, everyone was there. Paul was quite sick by this stage and It was pretty upsetting seeing him so unwell, it was like life had been drained from him. People were unwell all around us at this time. It seemed guys were getting sick and dying quickly and every few weeks you see or hear of someone, a friend, acquaintance or a friend of a friend or someone who you'd danced with on the dancefloor had died. As part of the grieving process friends would post obituaries in the then Sydney Star Observer. Every Thursday there would be 2, 3, 4 or 5 obituaries for people who'd died, many of them faces of guys you knew or had seen around. How did we cope? I coped by removing myself from my emotions, pushing the fear back down, blocking people out of my life, sick and dying friends. I didn't know how to deal with this, I felt lost. I never let myself grieve and avoided funerals and gatherings. We all coped in different ways and I envied those who could rally together, for me it was a solo experience - but it was painful for everyone. I knew many who died and many who are HIV+ and still alive now, good people and close friends. I've come to terms with myself now, changed and grown up and stronger. Having been exposed to a lot of death at an early age has enabled me to support my friends in crisis and my siblings through the death of our father, a lot of good has come of this but the cost feels huge. I knew the quilt was around and I wanted to make a panel for Paul but procrastinated about it. I was a prolific garment maker so it wasn't that didn't have skills it was me having to face the time, face death, face Paul and face myself. I think it was an upcoming unfolding of the quilt that prompted me to draw a design and make it up, I think I revisited that process many times before actually finishing the panel. I don't have a clear recollection of the panel's design, I think it was white satin with a stylised artery in red felt……….. it's a bit of a blur. I went briefly to the unveiling ceremony, I found it too emotional and I didn't like talking to people about the panel or about what was happening around us. Paul and I had a wonderful time together and adored each other, our love has never diminished.' This panel was made in memory of Paul 'Dook' Hinchliffe (b.1962- d.1991) Paul's mother,Carolyn contacted the Museum and said that she remembered seeing the panel on display in Cairns. Roger Tait provided this history of Paul to the Museum in 2015. "I met Paul Hinchcliffe at a house party in Cascade St Paddington, it was Australia Day 1987. A friend of mine was living there at the time and he was hosting his birthday party, it seemed that Paul and I had many mutual friends. I clearly remember talking with Paul out the front of this house and this is where he asked me if I wanted to go on a date with him. I was unsure and Paul was very charmingly persuasive. Paul lived in Kirribilli and one week night I went over to meet with him and we went for a meal somewhere on the north side, maybe Cremorne. Over the following months we spent a lot of time together, meeting each other's friends and hanging out. On two occasions Paul took me skiing, one of his loves. Even though I'm Scottish I'd never been skiing. Paul was very proficient so we spent most of the day apart, he on the black runs at Perisher and me in the beginner's class lol. These were great fun times, though I wasn't very impressed when we had to sleep in the car. Paul's nickname for me was Dookie. He had the name carved from timber, I still have it. Paul had a penchant for the fast and dangerous. He drove a black turbo car and his ZZZ plates were well known for hooning around the streets of Kirribilli and Darlinghurst. One of his stunts was pulling the handbrake on while travelling at 80klm, exhilarating for him and terrifying for his passengers. Once on the way to the movies in Paddington he was going so fast up Albion St he almost ran someone down. Paul was also a pilot and we went flying once, I'd never seen him sweat so profusely. Paul loved to get away. Sometimes we used to drive to Garie Beach in the National Park south of Sydney and sleep in the back of the car. I think he used to do things like this alone too, he loved getting away and his own time. We went away together on weekends too, it was our time together. Paul was a gentle guy with a soft heart, a Leo (like me). He had piercing dark eyes, one of them attractively skew, with long lashes and rosy cheeks, he was so handsome. He was very friendly and popular and had many loyal friends in and out of work. He worked in advertising and chose to keep work separate from his private life though I remember he was much loved by his colleagues. Paul and I drifted along together and apart then together again. I'm unclear of what happened at the end, anyway it's not so relevant as we were always friends, I always felt close to him and still do. Paul started to become unwell and from memory moved home to Port Douglas and was cared for by his family and friends. I lost touch with him during this time but think he stayed in Queensland until he came back to Sydney to see his friends, it was like a farewell. Paul had organised a gathering in the Botanical Gardens, everyone was there. Paul was quite sick by this stage and It was pretty upsetting seeing him so unwell, it was like life had been drained from him. People were unwell all around us at this time. It seemed guys were getting sick and dying quickly and every few weeks you see or hear of someone, a friend, acquaintance or a friend of a friend or someone who you'd danced with on the dancefloor had died. As part of the grieving process friends would post obituaries in the then Sydney Star Observer. Every Thursday there would be 2, 3, 4 or 5 obituaries for people who'd died, many of them faces of guys you knew or had seen around. How did we cope? I coped by removing myself from my emotions, pushing the fear back down, blocking people out of my life, sick and dying friends. I didn't know how to deal with this, I felt lost. I never let myself grieve and avoided funerals and gatherings. We all coped in different ways and I envied those who could rally together, for me it was a solo experience - but it was painful for everyone. I knew many who died and many who are HIV+ and still alive now, good people and close friends. I've come to terms with myself now, changed and grown up and stronger. Having been exposed to a lot of death at an early age has enabled me to support my friends in crisis and my siblings through the death of our father, a lot of good has come of this but the cost feels huge. I knew the quilt was around and I wanted to make a panel for Paul but procrastinated about it. I was a prolific garment maker so it wasn't that didn't have skills it was me having to face the time, face death, face Paul and face myself. I think it was an upcoming unfolding of the quilt that prompted me to draw a design and make it up, I think I revisited that process many times before actually finishing the panel. I don't have a clear recollection of the panel's design, I think it was white satin with a stylised artery in red felt……….. it's a bit of a blur. I went briefly to the unveiling ceremony, I found it too emotional and I didn't like talking to people about the panel or about what was happening around us. Paul and I had a wonderful time together and adored each other, our love has never diminished." Roger Tait, 7 March 2017