Bye bye, Kimbo

Hyde St, Bellingen at dawn
Originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

Misty Hanley wrote on Facebook today, for our friend Kimbo:

I lost my friend to suicide.
I'll never quite know why he died,
if there was more I could have tried,
to ease his pain and stem the tide.
Today we gathered and we cried.
I'll always think of him with pride.

I have been tongue-tied, and writer's blocked. Thank you, Misty, for saying so plainly what I wanted to say, but couldn't. I felt pressure to write something well, but now I don't -- you've said it all

Kim was very proud that his great-grandfather founded the The Hammond and Wheatley emporium (pictured) more than 100 years ago -- no longer a department store as it once was, back in the days that people in Coffs Harbour used to come to this town for their shopping. But still the most impressive building in my home town.

Kim Hammond, rest in peace. We all loved you.

Categories: bellingen