My older brother Mathew passed away unexpectedly towards the end of last year. It is hard to think about, let alone experience. And this is why I have been away from this space.
Mat and I lived a long way from each other, but kept in touch by calling each other every few weeks. He loved to get a rise out of me by talking politics, and we chatted about our kids and the things we were up to.
I’ve been thinking of Mat a lot, and thought I would share some memories and photos here…
Memories
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| Mathew’s first birthday |
~ my brothers and I grew up playing in the pine forest behind our home. We would spend hours up there, making cubby houses, climbing trees and having adventures. One day my younger brother stepped on a rusty old house nail and couldn’t walk home, Mathew carried him all the way.
~ during one primary school Easter holiday, Mat and my younger brother fed their Easter chocolates to the horse up the road. I am sure this wasn’t good for the horse, but it really puzzled me – why would you give away chocolate?
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| Mathew at my wedding |
~ one Winter we went to the beach to visit my grandparents who were holidaying there, and even though it was really cold, my brothers and I (spurred on by Mathew) ran into the sea fully dressed! We had a ball, until we got out and realised how freezing it was! Luckily there was a warm fire and hot chocolate to warm us up again.
~ Mat liked making up great games. We had a few we played regularly while growing up. The balloon game was one of my favourites (and I am sure it is a game played by kids everywhere!). We had to keep the balloon off the ground for as long as we could, by passing it between each other, making it hard for the next person to get. If it was your turn to keep it in the air and it touched the ground you were out. We played this game often in the Winter and it is possible a few light shades may have been broken!
~ Another great game he made up was a grass rolling game. We had to roll down the grassy hill next to our home and roll over each other too! I can’t quite remember the rules, but I sure do remember the fun we had!
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| Mathew in the Army |
Every now and again, I find myself having imaginary conversations with Mat, when I read a news article and know we would have loved to debate the issue. And Dino Boy and I have been enjoying one of Mat’s favourite childhood stories, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.
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| Mathew at my wedding |
I think that is all I would like to share for now, but also that I am ready to be back in this space.
Warmly, Kelly
