RIP Dan Vickerman

[Mal M Fike]

I'm an old geezer who loves rugby. I very rarely post.

However this thread has some of the best written and heartfelt posts I have ever seen anywhere.

I suffered anxiety and depression after my fathers sudden and unexpected passing four decades ago.
I was prescribed so many pills you couldn't count them.
Thankfully I got through that and I haven't taken any of that medication for maybe 25 years.

It has been difficult for me to get Dan Vickerman's tragic passing off my mind.

Just thinking about what his wife and children are going through buckles me.

 

[RugbyReg]

Well said Mal. Thanks for posting here.

 

[Tex]

At a point in the future may I suggest mods move this thread to the general discussion board and rename it to reflect a space for GAGR members to check in and share about things that may be troubling them, or to offer a kind word in return.

I've been quite moved by the openness of members in this thread. It reminds me that support networks and structures are rooted in the idea of community, and while we're posting from different parts of the globe and in most cases are unknown to each other outside of this website, it is still a community that can offer genuine help and support to its members.

Just my 2c.

 

[p.Tah]

^^^^ there have been similar eye opening threads a few years back. i haven't read them for a while. If I recall correctly some good posts and a couple of disappointing ones highlighting a lack of understanding.

Before reading them I was of the opinion people should harder up and get over it. I'm very glad I found these threads. It's given me greater empathy I believe. It's encouraged me to learn more about depression, so if someone does confide in me I can be more receptive and provide some help. I hope.

Ben Tune
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/ben-tune-battle-with-depression.12754/

Clyde Rathbone
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/clyde-rathbones-battle-with-depression.10200/

 

[wamberal]

And I would suggest that any thread about depression should come with the message that (a) talking on this forum is a good thing, but talking to real human beings is better, if you can manage it and (b) if you believe that you need help, please seek out a qualified practitioner, your GP, or if necessary, call Lifeline or Beyond Blue.


The really sad thing, it seems to me, is that this kind of illness is insidious, it seems to creep up and it overpowers some of us. Do not let it get to that stage.

 

[ACT Crusader]

A very sad story and my thoughts are with the Vickerman family and all those that are close to him.

I remember meeting him in Canberra a number of years ago and agree with barbarian, he is a big man. Shook his hand and it seemed his hand went halfway up my arm. An imposing figure on and off the pitch, but a gentleman from my experience.

When tragic life experiences occur it has been my experience that there are always silver linings that appear through the darkness. And it often comes through moments of reflection when people take stock and think a little more about those things that matter most. Case in point is this thread and some of the other discussions I've been a part of since the news broke. Those sharing their experiences and those offering words of encouragement, are in my view a real positive.

 

[wamberal]

We saw him when we were staying at the Crowne Plaza in Coogee. The Wobbs were on their way to South Africa.

He was absolutely huge. He walked from the lobby area into a side room and he had to duck his head to get through the doorway!

 

[formerflanker]

2007. A little B&B outside of Cardiff. Test is on tomorrow. Our little band of World Cup followers head to the pub next door. We talk rugby, including our expert analysis of our locks (Sharpe and Vickerman) and how they will dominate line outs.
Quiet gentleman next to us joins in. He is the proud father of one D. Vickerman. Many stories are shared.
Good times.

 

[Sully]

I'm sitting in my surf clubs cafe crying reading this article. You can say what you like about fitzy the person but you can't deny his skill as a writer and journo.

Hope none of tje clubies see me.

http://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/...father-dan-vickerman-was-a-pillar-of-the-pack

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk

 

[Spieber]

Time for our community to dig deep.

https://www.grouptogether.com/contributor?collection=5008b8d3-e085-4f2e-a4e5-ef416aa61f57

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Read about the memorial service today and I have to confess to being misty eyed and unbelievably sad about the whole thing still, especially from reading the tributes and seeing the very high regard he was held in. What an absolute tragedy for his family.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

In the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide. Suicide is now among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-44 (male and female).
http://www.befrienders.org/suicide-statistics

wft.

 

[Scoey]

wft.

"Australia's suicide rate is the highest it has been for at least ten years. In 2015, 3,027 people ended their own lives in Australia. That's 12.6 people in every 100,000.
That's more than eight people every single day.
One person every three hours."

"Suicide was the leading cause of death among all people 15-44 years of age, and the second leading cause of death among those 45-54 years of age," ABS - Cause of Death Report for 2015.

If you're an Australian male you're 3 times more likely to commit suicide than if you were female.

These are published stats. Simply staggering numbers. Yet we don't talk about it.

If you follow the QLD Police Facebook page you might've seen earlier in the week a fair few posts about a young woman missing from Calliope. She was 25 and had two young children. They found her body that day or perhaps the next. She had committed suicide. Again, as with Dan, she leaves behind two children.

How low must someone think of themselves, or how much must they be being tortured by their demons to think their own children are better off without them!?

We really need to dedicate some resources to fighting this scourge of an illness.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Justin Harrison, who has battled & appears to have beaten his own demons, along with former Saracens and England prop Matt Stevens, "has organised an all-star game at Allianz Park on June 30 in support of Restart Rugby, the official charity of the Rugby Players' Association and its #LiftTheWeight campaign aimed at raising awareness of mental health."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=11850646

All power to them.