The late Carmen The Sydney woman at the centre of accusations and questions regarding her role in the setting up of a charitable trust in the name of the late Carmen Rupe has hit back at what she calls her detractors' "vicious" and "totally baseless allegations" which fly in the face of "the values Carmen stood for when she was alive." In a statement provided to GayNZ.com Daily News Kelly Glanney, who has worked to set up the Sydney-based Carmen Rupe Memorial Trust for which she is now the director of its Advisory Committee, says she has responded to the publicly-voiced doubts and claims instead of the Trust "as it's very clear to them Jacquie Grant’s statements are intended as a personal attack on me." Glanney says the Trust itself will not be respoinding "at this time." In a posting on the now inaccessable Carmen Memorial Facebook profile Hokitika-based Grant, who is a long-time friend of Carmen's, had strongly questioned the basis on which Glanney was involved in establishing the Trust and the process and speed with which it has been formed. Glanney is inequivocal in stating that she is carrying out Carmen's wishes. "Carmen’s Will asked for a charitable trust to be established in her name. Myself and others have worked very hard for several months to ensure that happened. Sadly others have worked just as hard to thwart that process at every turn for their own reasons..." Responding to questions from Grant about how long and how closely she has known Carmen, and to Grant's claim that none of Carmen's long-time Trans and other friends present at Carmen's last big Birthday celebration in October appeared to know the much-loved Kiwi icon who died in Sydney in December, Glanney has explained her association with Carmen. "I can’t comment on generalised personal attacks made by Jacquie Grant claiming that I am not known to all the people in Carmen’s circle of friends and acquaintances in NZ. The simple truth of the matter is that Carmen and I moved into a six apartment complex in Riley Street, our front doors only centimetres apart, just prior to Easter in 1992 and over time became very good friends. Carmen later moved downstairs as her knees began to play up but we still often talked, at times on an almost daily basis." That is why, Glanney says, "Carmen, at the time fully supported by her niece Chanette" and other close friends "asked me to become one of her legal guardians in June last year. Postings by Grant and others on the Carmen Memorial Facebook profile had been making inferences and remarkably forthright claims stemming from Glanney's guardianship role which, due to defamation law, GayNZ.com can only reference obliquely. Glanney defends herself, and those whom she gathered together to set up the Trust, regarding the process by which they consulted publicly. Grant has criticised the consultations as insufficient. "Advertising on a few Facebook pages asking for input is not now and never will be adequate consultation to decide what the parameters and objectives are needed for a public funded body like the CRMT one must consult extensively with the proposed beneficiaries," Grant has said. "Given the great lengths we went to – for such a small volunteer based organisation with few resources - to consult broadly within the many communities who are obviously stakeholders in Carmen’s legacy," responds Glanney, "we remain confident we that are firmly on track to deliver a charitable vehicle that will achieve great things in Carmen’s name and which the wider GLBTi community will be very happy with." The critics and detractors of herself and the Trust are not honouring Carmen's name and nature, says Glanney. "If they knew and loved Carmen nearly as much as they claim, surely they'd realise their own actions in this regard are the very antithesis of the values Carmen stood for when she was alive." However, Glanney sounds a note of optimism that the differences can be bridged for the common good. "If Jacquie Grant and/or others wish to set up another trust in Carmen’s name, we will be quite happy to work alongside and in cooperation with it given it has similar objects and purposes to ours." [Editor's note: GayNZ.com has asked Glanney to provide documentatiuon or a copy of the part of Carmen's Will which provides the basis for the setting up of the Trust.] You can discuss this New Zealand gay community news story in the GayNZ.com Forum.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 29th March 2012 - 12:02pm