Many will remember the tragic circumstances in which Elsa Bladon, an Island music teacher, died last December. A house fire took Elsa’s life, a woman who clearly had a very positive impact on those she came into contact with. One such person is 14 year old Dhyana from Bonchurch. Ed

I wrote this poem in memory of Elsa Bladon, who died in her 60’s but whose heart was still in it’s 20’s.

She was the most amazing person I had met and whose spirit will still live on in my heart. She is the sort of person everyone would have wanted to meet at least once in a lifetime.

Without her I would be nothing. I would not have been invited to play in music concerts and most of all I would not have achieved merits and distinctions in all of my music exams.

But she was not just helpful musically, she encouraged me to be myself and my life, as a result was made easier because of her.

Elsa Bladon – Died 19th December 2008

Moving from the big city to a small country town,
Was like a fire blazing inside me,
Loneliness and misery had pulled me down,
The sadness of moving did not set me free.

Music was the thing that kept me going,
And without a teacher I was nothing,
The search was long and my music stopped flowing,
I had to find a teacher professional and loving.

Then I found her,
An angel from the sky,
Her music was almost pure,
A teacher on who I could rely.

Elsa was the one who made me the best,
Someone motherly, kind and perfect for all,
Her teaching was brilliant and put me to the test,
Now I can play in a formal concert hall.

Her death was not expected, it could not be,
It was something that made my heart fill with tears,
She was like a second mother to me,
I was heartbroken, crippled and full of fears.

I was the last pupil she saw, taught and heard her talk,
The last to see the big grin on her old cheerful face,
I was the last pupil to watch her jolly skipping walk,
The last to hold her hand and know that her teaching was ace.

Although this tragedy was many months ago,
I still find it difficult to face the facts,
She was understanding, different and far from a foe,
She was perfect and on a teaching scale – the max.

The loss is still deep inside my heart,
And I will always remember her as “my world of music”,
In my heart and life she will always hold the biggest part,
…Now she is a memory

… A friend

… A spirit

… And always a part of my soul…

By Dhyana Rao-Middleton, Aged 14

CP report of fatal blaze

Image: ochus b

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