MARIANNE MACARTNEY reviews the 50 years  of  the Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants of Victoria Inc and concludes that stakeholders of the group have every cause to celebrate.

You know you are getting old when your grandchildren start planning their weddings. How can that be happening so soon, you ask yourself. It is the same for my friends and acquaintances, some of whom have already witnessed the happy events.

Weddings, as we know, can be expensive. Dollar signs light up suppliers’ eyes when the word “wedding’ is mentioned and parents pale at the prospect of their bank accounts being raided. Of course not all weddings cost a lot as some people choose to have more informal and relaxed celebrations, and some couples want their ceremonies to be private with no guests at all, save their 2 obligatory witnesses.

And most marriages will not be celebrated in the religious settings of church, temple or mosque.

As a Civil Marriage Celebrant this comes as no surprise to me. ABS statistics inform us that over 80 per cent of marriages in Australia are solemnized by Civil Marriage Celebrants. I have conducted thousands of marriages in the 27 years of my practice, others even more.

Next month the Civil Marriage Celebrants Programme will be celebrating 50 years of Civil Marriages. From small beginnings in 1973 the programme has grown to currently over 10,000 Registered Marriage Celebrants in Australia. The secular, multi -cultural programme has been endorsed by the public in ways that were never expected. Not even the “father” of the programme, Justice Lionel Murphy, as visionary as he was, would have been able to envisage the resounding success of and support for Civil Marriage Ceremonies.

Despite the recent media criticism of “Baby Boomers”, it is worth remembering that it was that demographic who were activists of the sixties and early seventies. It was they who protested about inequality and Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War. It was their activism that eventually influenced the government of the day to legislate the social reforms that contributed to making life better in the seventies and beyond.

Many reforms, such as The Family Law Act, were hailed publicly but there was another one that should have received much more publicity that it was given – the secularisation of marriage law which would give the marrying public the freedom and dignity in being able to choose to marry at any time, day or place they so wished, along with freedom to choose most of the words in the circumstances they desired. And, along with those freedoms, the authorisation of Civil Marriage Celebrants to solemnise these marriages.

At that time, as in preceding decades, Marriages were the domain of the Christian churches or the State Registry offices. Divorcees who wished to remarry, non-believers or non-church goers were usually refused a church wedding and had no option but to endure the unsatisfactory conditions and undignified marriage ceremonies in the Registry Offices which in no way resembled the Registry Offices of today. When my own parents married in 1941 my father’s preference was the Registry. Neither he nor his family were religious, but my mother was, and she could not countenance the cold, impersonal atmosphere of a Registry Office. They reached an unsatisfactory compromise and were fortunate in finding a member of the clergy who agreed to perform the ceremony.

It took another thirty years to change this situation, but change it did thanks to the enthusiasm and work of the “Baby Boomer” generation celebrant activists who convinced the Attorney General of the need for equality and dignity in marriage law. An ex-priest, teacher, and longtime activist for a Civil Marriage Celebrant Programme  Dally Messenger was to the forefront of promoting such a programme as a human right while stressing – as he continues to do so – the importance of ceremony in civil marriage.

In December 1972 the Whitlam Government had been elected and embarked on a bold programme of social reform. Attorney General Lionel Murphy, a man who was committed to Human Rights and Social Justice, agreed with the activists and consequently used section 39 of the Marriage Act to secularize Marriage Law in Australia. On July 19, 1973 he personally wrote and posted the appointment letter of Australia’s first civil celebrant, Ms Lois Darcy, a teacher from the Gold Coast: four days later he appointed Ms Lyn Knorr as Australia’s second and Victoria’s first Civil Marriage Celebrant. Thus, the Civil Marriage Celebrants programme was born!

Following these two initial appointments, Murphy quickly appointed other celebrants so that by December 1974 there were 99 Authorised Marriage celebrants, in various locations all over the country.

Murphy championed equality and was committed to freedom of choice for the public to have the right to be married on “any day, at any time, in any place, with words of their choice.” He promoted professionalism, dignity, and respect regardless of gender, age, cultural background, or political persuasion. His first appointments were women which challenged the long-held dominance of men as legal officers.

This was a brave move on Murphy’s part as he faced opposition from both sides of politics. He knew that the success of the programme would rest on the shoulders of those first appointees. They had been selected by Murphy himself according to the criteria he believed would enable them to solemnize marriages in a professional and dignified manner. With no training in Civil Celebrancy available they relied on their prior learnings and experience, and their ability to read, understand and implement the legal requirements of the Marriage Act. They met together frequently, and their support came from the collegiality and friendship of each other. It was this interaction that enabled them to create more personal and culturally rich ceremonies.

Without the media fanfare of other reforms, they enthusiastically promoted the programme themselves. Lois performed a wedding on television and Lyn on radio delighting those who witnessed these weddings.

All regarded their roles as celebrants as a vocation that would enable them to contribute to wellbeing and happiness. Lyn remembers it was having the privilege of witnessing the joy of weddings rather than dwell on life’s hardships.

Both Lyn and Lois were articulate, well read, beautifully presented and successful in their careers. Lyn remembers these early celebrants as “persons of substance who should be remembered with respect”. At that stage Celebrancy was not considered to be a “business” but rather a service to the community. Their practice was strictly regulated, including a set fee and most relied on their day jobs to survive. All were very active in their communities and had diverse professional histories including Lyn’s own background – In 1970 she had worked on the personal staff of the PM at 10 Downing Street, followed in the late seventies by employment for the Deputy leader of the Opposition in Parliament House Canberra.

Others in this group were teachers, researchers, academics, fundraisers, journalists, writers, apiculturists, and business owners. Importantly, all were actively involved in their local communities through various clubs and organisations such as Rotary, Lions, Red Cross, Local Council, Sporting and Cultural clubs and groups including choirs, dramatic societies, orchestras. They served on local committees, not just as members, but in most cases, office bearers and volunteers in the field.

In 1995, I, too, became a Civil Marriage celebrant. When I was nominated I had to think long and hard about my motivation. I was a practicing educator and had a successful career in both teaching English and educational leadership. Without really knowing anything about the history of Celebrancy, my decision was made based on my personal commitment to equality, social justice and freedom of choice, although, I must admit I was attracted to the ceremonial aspects of the work.

Like those before me there was no training and I really did not have much idea of how to be a Marriage Celebrant and, in those first months I relied on my professional back ground and the guidance of Dally Messenger’s book,” Ceremonies for Today”. Most valuable though was the support and assistance generously given by that first group of celebrants, particularly Lyn who has become a dear friend.

These people are the ‘heroes of heroes’ of the Marriage Celebrants Programme.  I, and many others, benefitted from the knowledge and skills they shared, and it was that group that formed the associations and networks which continue to provide guidance and support.

Since my first ceremony in 1995, weddings have changed dramatically. In short, traditional type weddings still exist but many more options are now provided such as to themed weddings in unusual locations.

My experiences have been varied – in a hot air balloon – I had to refer that on as I don’t like heights; on horseback – that was ok as I could still ride a horse, although probably not anymore ; out on Port Phillip Bay in a gale – just as well I did not get sea sick; on the beach at sunset where the bride arrived in a sea plane; the Elwood Pier with a strong wind blowing – the bride lost her veil; In the Botanic Gardens – beautiful but a long trek for the celebrant with all her equipment and documents, after the hassle of finding a car park streets away; in the Sherbrook Forest dressed as a High Priestess- just as well I still had my academic robe; another Goth wedding beside the Yarra River at Warburton– the bride arrived in a coffin but the ceremony had beautiful words especially chosen by the groom who was resplendent in his Scottish dress; in the wonderful cultural Buildings in Melbourne – the all inspiring State Library, NGV, Parliament House Gardens, the Melbourne Museum; in City and Suburban hotels, humble Rural Hotels, Reception Centres ; brides arriving in helicopters, in Lounge Rooms including mine, Back Gardens, Wineries , Farms, Horse and Dray for the bridal party; and one I remember so well – a wedding when, just as the couple were signing the documents a young kookaburra flew over and deposited his mark right in the centre of the marriage certificate!

Celebrants clock up a lot of kilometers every year. We have travelled to all parts of Australia , on all days of the week, to conduct beautiful and meaningful marriage ceremonies with words chosen by the couples and often with cultural rituals all woven into the legally binding ceremonies which celebrate the love and commitment of the two people, entering into the marriage. Apart from fellow Australians we have solemnized marriage for people from across the world – Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China, the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada and more.

This is what celebrants do.

Fifty years on and Celebrancy continues to evolve. On Dec 5t, 2017 the plebiscite on marriage Equality was won in a Yes vote and 4 days later, on the 9th the Marriage Act was amended accordingly.

Celebrants are now trained and are required to pass the Certificate IV in Marriage Celebrancy in order to be registered . Advertising is no longer regulated and is a far cry from the “one column by 1 inch” in local newspapers, permitted in the early days, to individual websites and a plethora of social media platforms. Celebrants are diverse in culture and background and now operate as small business owners. In an unregulated market celebrants are free to charge a fee which they deem appropriate for their work.

I have loved every moment of the privilege I was given 27 years ago – of bringing happiness to people by being legally able to solemnize the marriage of “one person to another,” on any day, any time, any place, any words of their choosing, and, in any circumstance. In Victoria, this month the three celebrant associations which are members of the National Coalition of Civil Celebrants, are joining to host a function that celebrates the history, the longevity and the strength of the programme.

The committees of the Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants Victoria (of which I am a member), Celebrants Australia and the International College of Celebrancy, Alumni and Friends invite all celebrants, partners, friends – members, non-members, retired, practising, beginning and aspiring to join with us on Sunday July 23rd at the Sandown Park Hotel Function Room . We will enjoy a 2 course lunch, a short Celebratory Presentation by some of the longest serving celebrants and an entertaining videography presentation of our history. There will be time to meet with old friends, perhaps make new friends and share experiences. The occasion is planned to be informal, inclusive and but, above all, a tribute to those who have gone before and an affirmation of those who continue to carry the torch.

This is our Golden Anniversary. Let us celebrate!

For those who wish to attend this all-inclusive celebration contact us on acmcv@bigpond.com

• Macartney is of  the Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants of Victoria Inc.