EVERY now and then as a journalist you get to do stories that really move you.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The death of a mate in a small town is one of those instances, and yet writing about the passing of Matt Rat came easily, perhaps because he was such an easy going bloke who had accomplished so much.
Motor neurone disease is a horrible condition that robs one of the use of one’s body and yet your mind remains as active as ever.
The disease has now claimed several much loved locals- Matt Ratcliffe and a few years before him Cheryl Fong, while just down the road at Tanja, film producer Philip Hearnshaw was also taken by MND.
What we can do is to continue to donate to the researchers in the hope that more can be found out about the insidious disease that can creep up on such lovely people.
Even if you can’t make it to Matt’s burial this Friday, consider making a donation to the MND Research Institute of Australia.
The paper today is also full of other fundraisers and calls for help – little Aleyathiah who needs help getting to school, chef Rosh at Lynch’s Restaurant raising funds his beloved and yet smashed up city of Kathmandu in Nepal, the Rotary Shelterbox Beatles concert that will see shelter go to places such as Nepal and then there was the Cancer Council charity golf day and Estia Health Biggest Morning Tea coming up.
Hopefully you can help out with some of these great causes and there is no better way to make yourself better than getting involved and helping someone else out.