Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts

Friday, July 03, 2015

RIP Phil Walsh



WAKING up to the news that Phil Walsh was murdered overnight was pretty tough going for a lot of people. The coach of the Adelaide Crows football club was well-respected and had made an impact across other clubs during his career.

As an Adelaide supporter, I was personally shocked. From waking up to a text from my mother asking if I'd heard, to thinking he'd been in an accident, to then turning on the TV and seeing the headline 'Phil Walsh murdered', I couldn't quite believe it.

From a footy perspective, my father noted we'll never know where he could have led the Crows. He only came to us in October, we're sitting 7-5 and confident we can finish in the top eight. He had a tough attitude but a positive impact on the club. Across the various clubs he worked at, he made solid connections.


From a community perspective, this has hit Adelaide – heck, all of Australia – hard. Here you have a tragic story rising from a domestic dispute. A son motivated for whatever reason to harm his parents. A daughter travelling overseas only to hear about the horrifying news of murder from either a grieving relative or a news bulletin. It's unimaginable.

Even if it was someone with less of a profile this would be considered a tragedy. But the nature of the victim lends to greater coverage of the story, which today has been extensive. Personally, seeing the Seven Adelaide newsdesk presenting coverage on TV here in Darwin made the world shrink just that little bit more.

We can only think of Phil's greater family, friends and the club at this time. I would have loved to see the boys play in his memory on Sunday, but understand the pain of grief all too well to know they'll need that extra time to get back in the right headspace.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

While I had quite the good day today, I hadn't had as bad a day for a very long time as I did yesterday.

You know when you wake up in the morning and something just doesn't feel right? Either physically, or mentally... you just know that you shouldn't leave the house because it's going to be an absolute shitfight until you get back past the safety of that door.

Yesterday was one of those days.

And then Robin Williams goes and dies.

I'm affected enough when I hear about celebrity deaths. This one didn't feel real though. Not only because SO many other things had already gone wrong with my life in general and at work that I couldn't quite believe it (I really did think it was a hoax, took a while to actually acknowledge what I was seeing on TV), but also because we now know that such a FUNNY man died by his own doing in the most not funny of ways.

Hearing about depression leading to suicides is something that deeply saddens me. For him to have felt the pressures of life so much among a supportive family and friendship network is heartbreaking. So too has been the outpouring of grief. You all saw The Academy's tweet I take it.

The words of my friends and celebrities have been some of the most heartfelt I've ever read. I'm not quite sure why I don't feel I've had to say a lot. I honestly just think it's the most horrible of losses. Drug addiction and overdosing is one thing... hanging is just something else altogether.

And a day later we've lost Lauren Bacall, who lived a long life but whose loss is still big considering the golden days of Hollywood drift further away from reality. Two big heavyweights just gone. Two people who truly had an effect on people with their talents. I made a note today that these things usually come in threes, and I would hate to think we'll hear of another death. I just hope they're resting in a good place now. Vale.

Sunday, October 13, 2013