6 weeks ago my uncle Robert was rushed in to theatre with pains in his body. I am not the most technical guy but his main artery was about to burst so it wasn’t looking good. They operated on him immediately and fixed the problem but it was already too late and he spent the next 6 weeks in ICU fighting for his life. Our whole family spent last night in the hospital praying for him and just really loving him and being there for him. Sadly, he left us this morning at around 1:30am. It really is terrible and SO sad to lose anyone especially family but I think of seeing him last night and of how tired he looked and how much he had been trying and I feel almost relieved that he isn’t going through that anymore. It sucks and he is already missed.

The photograph I have posted was 2 months ago and it is of my uncle Robert (front) and my dad (back) riding quad bikes in a forest. I am so glad that we got to share many memories like this together but it is sad to know that we won’t ever be doing this again. Life is so strange and it can leave you in seconds. I won’t ever understand why or how someone can be here today and then not here tomorrow but I do know that I cannot control or change that. It makes me realize that life is way to short for stupid grudges and dumb little issues and that we should really live our lives. Make plans to see your friends and family, tomorrow might be too late.

Goodbye uncle Robert. You were a husband, a father, a brother, a son, an uncle and a friend and I am so sad to see you go and I know you are missed so much already. Please, if you’re reading this blog, think of my aunty Barbara and all of our family and friends. They need all the love and support they can get.

Today is a proper saddest day. My friend Wayne passed away today after suffering in ICU for the passed 6 weeks. All this because some stupid idiots shot him while he was visiting our country, as if robbing him wasn’t enough.

I am so sad and am not sure how to deal with stuff like this. I normally just go back into my hard drives and look through photographs that are appropriate and in doing this, I found this photograph. It might not be one of my best but it means a lot. It is basically from the first set of photographs I ever shot of food. I shot this at a restaurant called Malachites which Wayne used to own and run. They were one of my very first clients when I started Melon Graphics 6 years ago and they trusted me to do some work for them. I love this shot just because I remember taking it with Wayne’s help and then eating it and thinking of how excited I was starting my new venture. That was long ago. Malachites was since sold and Wayne and Gary moved over to the UK about a year and a half ago and they have loved it. We hung out with them last year when we were over and we spoke to them about our plans to move over at the end of this year. They have made us so excited and helped us a lot already by motivating us to think of the bigger picture and Wayne joked about us coming to stay with them for our honeymoon later this year. I’m telling you this just to get it out and give the sense of what good people they are.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who has been praying for and thinking of Wayne during this time. It really means a lot. I am sad to say goodbye to him but I know the suffering is now over. All my thoughts now focus on his partner Gary and all Wayne’s family and friends. So much love and strength not just now but with everything.

Wayne, you’re already missed …….

I shot photographs for about 2 years for Heat Magazine and during this time I worked quite a bit with Ashley Callie from Isidingo and she really was such a cool person. Every charity event that I attended that she was at, I remember her being one of the only important guests that were always there really trying to help. She was friendly and just a down to earth person. She passed away today after suffering from a bad car accident and that really is sad news. I get really sad when things like this happen to anyone I have ever encountered or come to know and this post is just to wish her family well and let them know that people are thinking of them. This photograph is really just a funny one that I shot 2 years ago that I always thought was funny.

Also, my friend Wayne is in ICU trying to recover from an armed robbery and I cannot stop wishing that there was something I could do to help this. If you’re reading this, please think of him and pray for him to get through this and become well soon, if that is what you do.