Community farewell for a favourite couple
QUICK with a joke, generous to a T and welcoming to all – Malcolm and Esme Beck were remembered as they lived during a service at Trinity Lutheran College yesterday.
“Love your neighbour – Mal and Esme exemplified this in their whole lifetime,” Chris Reardon told the full church.
The couple tragically died in Townsville after being hit by a car on Christmas Eve.
The retired couple, in their mid-70s, had been visiting one of their daughters before tragedy struck. They were farewelled together by the congregation and friends who knew them well and who had been treated as family by the former teachers.
“They were the surrogate parents to many and were renowned for their hospitality and cooking; often recreating the feeding of the 5000,” Mr Reardon said. “Everyone was welcome.” The couple met while teaching at Melbourne’s Lutheran College – Malcolm was one of the founding staff who had set up the science labs.
“He was both mad professor and dashing eligible bachelor who drove a yellow Monaro with black stripe down the bonnet – clearly this is what grabbed Esme’s attention,” Mr Reardon said.
The couple were known for their humour. As a student, one of Esme’s signature pranks was to fill a cream bun with toothpaste and offer it to the unwary.
Their first house at Kilsyth near the Dandenong Ranges became a centre where neighbours of all cultures and backgrounds felt welcome.
“It was there that grew the themes of multiculturalism and hospitality – the Beck family home was the hub,” Mr Reardon said.
Even when retired, the couple continued to work with recent immigrants, often teaching classes to aid with adapting to their new home.
“It was amazing to see the warmth of relationships in Esme’s class,” Mr Reardon said. Before retiring, both of the Becks taught at Peace Lutheran College.