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A
Personal Tribute To Jill Phipps
15 January 1964 - 1 February 1995
Jill
and her beloved son Luke
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Jill
at Coventry Airport |
(note this tribute was written immediately
after Jill's death)
It
is with great sadness and heaviness of heart that I come to write
this tribute. I only knew Jill for a few years and yet in that time
I came to respect her determination and especially her compassion.
Jill was a beautiful young woman at the height of her powers who
loved and cared for all life, at 31 she was much too young to die
and I am sure she will always be remembered with love by everyone
who had the privilege of meeting her.
Jill
was part of a close and loving family, she shared her home with
her son Luke(pictured above), her much loved partner Justin, Spider
and Lucy(two rescued dogs) and over the years many rats, cats and
other animals. Jill loved her family but she didn`t turn her back
on the millions of other humans and animals that needed her help.
Over the years she campaigned actively against vivisection, environmental
destruction, hunting, zoos, circuses, homelessness, the meat and
dairy industries, infact anything that caused needless suffering
and misery.
Jill
relaxing wearing a hunt saboteurs t-shirt |
Jill`s
peaceful protests took many forms, from providing a home to a stray
dog, to handing out leaflets, to sabbing a hunt, to standing in
front of a lorry load of young calves destined for a short hellish
life in veal crates. When Jill stood in front of the lorry that
killed her, she understood the risks but typically for her she assumed
that the police and the lorry driver would respect life as much
as she did, unfortunately this was not true and in the end Jill
gave her life for her beliefs and for others who could not defend
themselves - this is the greatest act of bravery that is possible
by a human being.
Jill is not a martyr, she is a hero and her actions will inspire
and give courage to everyone who knew her and to many thousands
of people who never met her. Jill`s bravery and compassion will
go down in history and she will never be forgotten.
Jill
with a horse at an animal sanctuary |
Jill
with Luke share a happy moment |
As
i`ve already said I only knew Jill for a short time but in that
time she showed me only kindness whether helping me move into my
new flat when she had only met me the day before or watching my
back on a hunt sab. Meeting Jill has enriched and changed my life,
I can`t express how much I wish she was still alive but nothing
will bring her back. Now it is up to all of us to make sure her
death has not been in vain, the only fitting tribute for Jill will
be an end to the evil live export trade and to all animal abuse
- together we can make Jill`s bravery into a turning point in history,
it`s in our hands now.
Examine your heart and conscience, if you eat meat - stop! If
you care for the veal calves - think about where they come from
(the by-products of the dairy industry) and act accordingly, don`t
use products that were tested on animals, don`t go hunting or fishing,
don`t support zoos or circuses - in fact look at every aspect of
your life and think about how it effects other people, animals and
the environment - live a compassionate life in tribute to Jill and
because it is the right thing to do. Jill`s death has begun to wake
people up to the reality of the suffering our society is based on.
If you need help
getting started, visit our links
section or click on the piglet
below to begin your journey to a better and more compassionate life
... for you ... for the animals and for the planet.
Jill's
grave
The
plaque on Jill's grave |
When the earth has been ravaged and the animals
are dying, a tribe of people from all races, creeds and
colours will put their faith in deeds not words to make
the land green again.
They
shall be known as The Warriors of the Rainbow, Protectors
of the Environment.
Jill
was one of those people
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