Lachlan

Just a few weeks ago I took a step to the side and had a look at our life here and thought, this is not bad;
despite the daily struggles, we've got a good going wee business here but more importantly a healthy family, three happy kids that get on with each other, like each others company and are great friends to their mum and dad.
Lachie the oldest, a great academic achiever, ended up joint dux of Perth High School and also Head boy.
He was popular too because he was a funny and sociable young man. He knew how to enjoy himself. He left school in June. We had some fun for a couple of weeks out on the bikes and learning to drive.
He was to take a year out and go and stay with a friend of mine in Germany for the first couple of months of his freedom and get a job there. Lachlan got the offer of a ticket for T in the Park and went off full of excitement. Something went wrong there. He got hit by a lorry and didn't survive his injuries.
He was only seventeen years old.

The sky came crashing down.
I wrote this about my son.

Lachlan 17

My son died,

he was hit by a lorry.

My great companion,

my handsome laddie.

The very thing that

Every parent dreads and hopes

Wont happen

But it happened to us, him, me

What a star you should have seen him

You should have heard him.

Clever and funny, confident and kind

Dux of the school and head boy

He left at the top of his game.

We walked together, we cycled together

We laughed and we talked

Where am I going to go now

I cant go anywhere

we went everywhere

What am I going to do now?

I cant do anything

we did everything

Apart from fishing, he didn't like fishing.

Fortune telling lady

Who didn't look me in the eye on the way to her car

Did you know?

And couldn't tell?

Some teller

Did you know that I knew

you didn't know anything?

Fear runs down the front of my arms

Like rolling sunburn

Drains out through my fingertips

Why fear?

What fear?

Fear of something that has happened? Yes

Sitting in the front row,

I thought the box was going to be blacker

My body got up

Lift the hymn book

Half way through shepherd

And I crack

Tears puddling into my glasses

Good turnout though Lach

You would have been pleased

Busiest the church has been for years.

So like, in your face, other dead guys

Michael Jackson would have been there.

If he hadn't just popped off the week afore

You're away, but you're aye here

But never here enough now

Son

The very thing I told you not do

Was the very thing you laughed and said

that you would never do

was the very thing you did.

It was just a mistake

It was just an honest mistake

It was just an accident

It was just an unfortunate accident

These things happen

These things happen every day

Every day

They say we should focus on the good times

And not think of the things we never did

But I wasn't finished with you yet

Oh Lachie

Up ye get

O.K. so that's it, there'll be no more about it on this website.
Thank you very much for all the messages of support they have been a great help to us.

Ron and Judith