Remembering Willi Grabau
28 November, 1919 – 26 November, 2014

Willi Grabau was born on 28 November 1919 at Besenhorst, Germany at 4:38am local time. He was an adventurous Sagittarian, with sociable Libra rising and a friendly Aquarian Moon. Willi’s first encounter with Astrology was as an apprentice electrician in West Germany (1934-1938) when his mentor, who practiced the craft, offered to do a reading for him. In the reading Willi was told the early 1980s would bring a major transformation in his life when transiting Pluto crossed his Ascendant. Willi eventually immigrated to Australia in 1954 by ship and settled at Warners Bay, Newcastle, NSW. He didn’t think a lot more of the Astrological forecast until 1982 when his wife Louise passed away unexpectedly and he retired from his job of 21 years’ soon after. He rekindled his interest in Astrology and started learning with a passion. He took classes with Katie Bear, eventually teaching classes himself both at his home and the Awareness Centre (as it then was) in Hamilton, Newcastle, casting many charts by hand for family, friends and eventually clients.

Willi received the Certificate in Astrology through the Federation of Australian Astrologers (FAA) in 1987. This impressed his family, being a non-native speaker of the English language. He became a long-term member of the FAA and regular attendee at their bi-annual conferences. In conjunction with one of his three sons, Ulrich, Willi also self-published a book in 1989 titled, “Time Changes, Longitudes and Latitudes throughout Australia.” This became a handbook for Astrologers before the age of computers fully developed.

Willi had no regrets about his journey to Australia considering it the best country in the world, often saying, “we are living in paradise.” Apart from Astrology his other interest was the Germania Club at Warners Bay which he helped establish from 1957.

He later wrote a 50 year history of the Club in 2007, a place in which he enjoyed many a beer. Sadly, Willi passed peacefully in hospital on 26 November 2014 two days before his 95th birthday. The transiting North Node was exactly conjunct his 12th house Venus, ruler of his first and eighth houses, transporting him from this world to the next.

His astrological legacy is being continued by granddaughter Michelle Oberdorf who recently attained the FAA Diploma.

Willi was proud to see his granddaughter Michelle receive the FAA Diploma, a Saturn Return after he had successfully received his.