The Catholic Leader Flipbook - Issue 5594 - March 22

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30 Humans of the Church
The Catholic Leader, March 22, 2020
Keeping Faith with You
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By Debbie Cramsie
PAUL Field wears his heart on his
sleeve – literally.
The manager of the world’s most popular chil-
dren’s entertainers, The Wiggles, has the name of
his late daughter Bernadette tattooed on his arm
along with his beloved Sacred Heart, an image he
says typifies both his suffering and strength.
More than 30 years on, he admits his Catholic
faith has helped him cope with the tragic loss
of his daughter to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome), one of the most painful experiences
of his life.
The former lead singer with Aussie band The
Cockroaches was on tour in Queensland with
brothers and bandmates Anthony and John when
his second child died suddenly in her sleep.
Only hours before, he heard his daughter mut-
ter the words “ta ta” on the phone.
Ironically, the next day it ended up being her
last words to him – perhaps her way of saying
goodbye.
“You never, ever get over the loss of a child,
it’s like an open wound that scars you and chang-
es you forever,” he said with a tear in his eye.
“You feel like you actually can’t survive it,
that you might actually die yourself the grief is
so overwhelming.
“But I believe in the Communion of Saints
and know that Bernadette is always with me.
“I still have bad Bernadette days, even weeks,
but there is a real comfort growing up as a
Catholic, I know there is life after death and that
love goes on forever.
“My faith has allowed me to come to terms
with her passing and know her spirit lives on.
“Prayer and faith has always been a part of my
life and brings me back to the fact we just need to
love one another, it really is what gives me hope.”
Growing up in a devout Catholic family, Paul
and his six siblings attended St Bernadette’s
Primary School at Lalor Park where both his
parents were committed members of the school
and parish community.
His dad coached the school footy team, his
mum, who he describes as a “black-belt Catho-
lic”, played the organ at Mass and together they
ran the Parents and Friends Association.
It was also a house alive with music and
where The Cockroaches and Wiggles were born.
Both his parents came from musical back-
grounds with his mum often saying “learning to
play music is as important as learning to read and
write”.
He smiles as he thinks back to his primary
school years and in particular Sr Dominic – his
music teacher who he attributes for the existence
of both The Cockroaches and The Wiggles.
“Sr Dominic was pretty tough but also in-
stilled in all of us a real love of music,” he said.
“She used to say ‘I bet you’d rather be out
kicking a footy rather than in here playing
music’ which was probably true to a certain
extent but she certainly gave us a love of music
and without her I doubt The Cockroaches or The
Wiggles would ever have existed.
“I look back at our time in primary school
and it fills me with such happy memories, a time
growing up in a beautiful and faith-filled family.”
After completing Year 12 at St Joseph’s Hunt-
er’s Hill, Paul attended ACU where he met and
formed The Cockroaches, which later morphed
into The Wiggles featuring his brother and only
remaining original member Anthony.
However, after the death of his daughter and a
change in the music scene due to new regula-
tions around venues, Paul stepped away from
the industry and worked in a number of fields
including teaching at St Joseph’s Hunters Hill
before returning to The Wiggles as managing
director more than 20 years ago.
Paul said growing up watching his parents
volunteering around his local parish and school
taught him to give back where you can and assist
those in need.
Apart from the everyday charity “meet and
greets” the band perform, they are also huge
supporters of Red Nose Day in honour of Berna-
dette, UNICEF and Catholic agency Vinnies.
And it was during a fundraising concert for
bushfire relief in January that original yellow
Wiggle Greg Page suffered a cardiac arrest that
set Paul’s prayers into overdrive.
Mr Page collapsed after sustaining a coronary
occlusion – a blockage of one of the major blood
vessels to the heart – at a reunion concert where
he was performing with original Wiggles band-
mates Murray Cook, Anthony Field and Jeff Fatt.
“None of us thought he would survive, it re-
ally was a miracle,” he said.
“He came off stage and collapsed, there was
no pulse and there was no breathing, nothing.
“There was a nurse and a doctor in the audi-
ence and they really brought Greg back.
“I certainly said my share of prayers that night,
as they say there’s no pagans on a battlefield.”
As one of the world’s most successful
children’s entertainers, The Wiggles have sold
a whopping 30 million cd/dvd’s, nine million
books and 10 million live concert tickets yet his
marriage to Pauline is the achievement he is most
proud of.
Together for 41 years, married for 37, their
relationship has endured their ups-and-downs
yet is stronger today than ever. He said the bond
they shared was unbreakable and admits the best
times in his life are those spent together.
“I guess we were meant to be, my name is
Paul, hers Pauline, we are both the middle child
of seven, we both came from the Hunter Valley,
both our dads had major medical episode’s in
their 30s that they were lucky to survive and we
both are people of great faith.
“We grew up in very Catholic families and
have that common thread in both our lives that
really has cemented us together.
“Around 75 per cent of couples separate after
the death of a child and I can see why yet we
both got counselling and got through it together.
“She has been at the centre of it all and I
couldn’t have imagined going through it all
without her.”
Today when Paul isn’t travelling the globe
with The Wiggles you’ll find him on stage with
his band, The Sacred Hearts, further testimony to
the depth of his faith.
With former Wiggle Jeff Fatt, the rockabilly
outfit plays regular gigs around the country to
a band of dedicated fans mostly unaware of the
origin of the band’s name.
“I have always loved the symbol of The Sacred
Heart, it represents my faith and is so beautiful to
look at,” he said. “To me it means both strength
yet the struggle that we all face in life.
“The music we play gives me so much joy and
the name is a real comfort.
“I am so blessed with everything I have and
don’t ever take that for granted.
“Ours is such a worldwide faith that makes
sense and has been a constant in my life even in
the challenging times.”
This story first appeared in The Catholic
Weekly from Sydney archdiocese
Paul’s
heart
on his
sleeve
You never, ever get
over the loss of a child, it’s
like an open wound that
scars you and changes you
forever. ... But I believe in
the Communion of Saints
and know that Bernadette
is always with me.
Loving memory: Paul Field shows the
tattoo he has on his arm in honour of his
daughter Bernadette who died of SIDS
more than 30 years ago.