by Rita Uechtritz
Marina (known to the Uechtritz family as ‘Mia’) was a founding, active, and contributing member of the OAS, an honorary sister to my father and uncle, an honorary Aunty to me and my siblings. Any way you look at it, Marina was a beautiful, formidable, passionate, and intellectual force of reckoning.
She was born in 1940 in Hamburg during the early Allied bombing raids. We would often smile and say that contributed to her indomitable personality. That, and being born on Bastille Day – 14 July. She migrated from Hamburg to Burwood in Sydney with her mother as a 7-year-old and in the past many years of her life she lived in Balmain.
There would be much to tell about Mia on a personal note, but suffice to say that Marina has been a deeply inspiring and treasured family friend (and relative by marriage). Our family’s history moved in parallel as firm family friends in Hamburg to plantations in PNG, and family homes in Sydney. She really was a mentor to me and to many: in the arts, music, culture, world events, Oceania, and our affinity to the country.
Her heart was always in the right place. She was an authentic social justice activist – her letters to various government ministries and PMs, whether they be to advocate in arts and cultural policy, social justice issues, architecture, refugees, ill-conceived developments, migration, and so on were notorious in their ubiquity and fierce intellect. Always hitting bullseye. She was never left out of a street protest, and believe me, anyone in critical policy-making knew of Marina. Amongst others, she submitted many a thoughtful contribution to the governmental inquiry about the future of the Powerhouse Museum relocation, for instance.
We joined forces on the terms and conditions providing access to the Pacific Collection when it was so disappointingly moved from the Australian Museum to a storage warehouse in Rydalmere.
I am sure many members of the OAS will have remarkable memories of Marina. She contributed to the society a great deal over the years, authoring several reviews and commentaries on Pacific and Māori art exhibitions or catalogues.
Marina is survived by her only daughter, Mia Garlick, her son-in-law, Duncan Stone, and two beautiful grandchildren, Alexandra and Max.