Today is the last day that Jo Melzack will be working for Greenpeace. The organisation will not be the same anymore. Jo is a great loss to Greenpeace but also to me personally as she has been my inspiration and support as area networker for more years than both of us care to remember.
I first met Jo nearly (or maybe over) 20 years ago at the Greenpeace office in Canonbury Villas when I was a new area networker - or whatever the title of my job was then. Jo was area networker for Manchester at the time and had been doing the job for a little while longer than me. I was instantly impressed and in awe of Jo for her commitment to Greenpeace and remain so to this day. As the importance and role of Greenpeace support groups changed from being merely fund raisers - both Jo and I remember organising street collections and house to house collections - to campaign delivery, it became important that local groups needed more support and so the role of network developer was created - a paid post, and it had to be for all the hard work that a network developer has to do. Jo was an obvious candidate for the role of network developer for the north of England, all of Scotland and Northern Ireland. She has worked tirelessly all that time developing networks and being a constant source of quiet support when needed and also when needed a gentle but firm push was given.
As well as supporting all the local groups in her area, Jo developed a street communications training programme designed to give local activists the confidence to talk to complete strangers about Greenpeace and its campaigns and she also coordinated the non violent direct action training and instigated (with Richard Martin) the political lobbying training programme. I am sure anyone who has been on one of these courses will appreciate how well structured and helpful they have been in making our work for Greenpeace that much easier.
Anyone who has met Jo will have been inspired by her. She is the embodiment of what 'being Greenpeace' is all about. We will all miss her wisdom and kindness but I have no doubt that we have not seen the last of Jo. Her role as a paid employee with Greenpeace may have finished but Jo will always be around at actions and other. I may have lost a mentor but I have not lost a friend.
I'm sure all of you will join me in wishing Jo a well deserved rest and also we look forward to seeing you at an action some time in the not too distant future.
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