As many of you may have already heard or read, tragedy struck a young Canadian family early last week, in their adopted home of New Orleans. Helen Hill, a filmmaker, artist, animator and humanitarian, was shot to death in the doorway of her home, while her husband, Dr. Paul Gailiunas, was shot four times but survived. Francis, the couple's two year old son, was unharmed in the attack.

Helen Hill and Paul Gailiunas were shining staples in the Halifax arts community for much of the late nineties; the shock of Hill's murder has brought the community to a state of collective mourning. For many years Paul was the lead singer and songwriter in a brilliantly uplifting Halifax band called Piggy, known as "the calypso orchestra of the Maritimes", a multi-member jamboree party collective that was years ahead of what has now become a wide-spread trend in Canadian music. Piggy was so named after the pot-bellied pigs that Paul and Helen kept as pets both in Halifax and New Orleans.

Piggy's last album was entitled Love Letter To Halifax, a goodbye gift to the scene when Paul and Helen first departed for New Orleans in 2001. On it is the beautiful and heartfelt song "Bohemian Town", which perfectly sums up both Paul and Helen's love for the life and the people that surrounded them wherever they chose to live.

We wish Paul and Francis our deepest sympathy and respect.



Update: Lisa just sent me this “Good Luck Video” of Helen and Paul filmed by a friend who traveled with them on their move down to New Orleans in June of 2000. Youtube

And here’s the memorial page set up by her friends. Please check it out.

posted by Grant Lawrence on Jan 09, 2007