Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness

Dally Messenger's History of Celebrancy is in six sections. 

The first section, "The Background”, discusses the meaning of the secular ceremony. It paints the picture of the world into which the celebrant program was established. iIt reports on the 1960s and this period of profound historical change — including militant feminism and birth control. 

The second section, "The Early Years",  tracks the Civil Marriage Celebrant Program, from the appointment of the first celebrant, Lois D'Arcy, to the late seventies— the changes in the public attitude to divorce and remarriage, and the joy of the general public in new choices.

The third section, "Progress" tracks the initial euphoria to the development of content and meaning in the ceremony — including poetry and "theatre skills". It documents the evolution of the of civil weddings from gimmick to “mainstream”. From civil marriages evolved the civil Naming, Renewal of Vows and even Gay Marriage.

The fourth section, "Funerals" chronicles the initial resentment and dissatisfaction regarding funerals which existed in the sixties and seventies and discusses the first funerals by celebrants. It acknowledges pioneers of the civil funeral celebrant movement, and how they assisted families in grief. It contains stories of the World War II diggers' funerals. It goes into the struggle over money and time with Funeral Directors, and the work of reforming celebrant Kathleen Hurley and others.

The fifth section, "The Fixed Fee et alia", is mostly about struggles and political problems. It deals with the fixed fee problem. It details the particular malevolence of Attorneys-General Michael Lavarch and Secretary Peter Duncan. It describes the beginnings of the International College of Celebrancy and the National Council of Celebrants.

The sixth section, "The Flowering"  describes the Pallotti conferences — how these annual conferences signalled an increased understanding of the role of celebrants. It tracks the rise of Victoria & Monash University's Post Graduate Diploma in Celebrancy. It describes the promise of reform of Attorney-General Daryl Williams QC, i.e.careful selection of celebrants, balance of celebrant numbers, and quality training of celebrants. It finishes about the year 2000.


Author

As well as this book, Dally Messenger III is the author of at least six published books.His text, “Ceremonies and Celebrations”, is considered the classic source book for civil marriage and funeral celebrants and their clients. He also wrote “Murphy's Law and the Pursuit of Happiness: A History of the Civil Celebrant Movement”. His other books are on Rugby League - The Master (1980). He lives in Melbourne and is currently Principal of the International College of Celebrancy.


Other information about Dally Messenger III can be found at www.dallymessenger.com and the Wikipedia article “Celebrant (Australia)”. Some of  his keynote addresses can be found on www.collegeofclebrancy.com