Former Member for Benalla, Victorian State Labor MP and disability advocate Denise Allen has died, aged 68.
“It is with a sense of deep sadness and profound loss that Denise’s family announce her passing at dawn on the 22 Jan 2022,” her family tweeted on her Twitter account.
“Denise passed peacefully and without pain surrounded by her children Shae, Hayley and Paul and her beloved granddaughter Stella Mae; as she wanted.”
“Denise’s tireless advocacy for social justice, disability reform, dying with dignity and labour movement ideals will be a loss to the political landscape. It was important to Denise that others continue the campaigns that meant so much to her & other like-minded souls.”
Dr Jenna Price tweeted, “She was so engaged with life, with people, with social justice. We’ve lost a warrior. May her spirit live on in all of us.”
“As one small part of her twitter family, my deep condolences on your loss,” journalist Hugh Riminton tweeted. “From what I could see of her, she was a firecracker. May she rest easy.
Allen was a member of the Disability Reference Group for the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, and President of Go Options Disability Support Services Board.
She was also a Rural & Regional Affairs advisor to the Minister for Rural and Regional Development during the Bracks Labor Government.
Allen’s family also tweeted their gratitude to Peter Mac Cancer Centre “… for their exceptional care, compassion and humanity in caring for Denise in her final weeks. We cannot thank you enough, you wonderful humans.”
“A series of moments make up our all too brief journey through this vale of tears. If we can remember that, in the moment, all that really matters is the love we leave others, we will honour Denise and ourselves. In this way, we will have done our best.”
“Denise is survived by her mother Betty, children Shae, Hayley, and Paul and her granddaughter Stella Mae, her many lifelong friends, and her twitter family. Vale Denise. You will be missed.”