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MOSTLY SUNNY
MOSTLY SUNNY
IN DAYNE’S MEMORY By CHER JIMENEZ
A MOTHER’S unspeakable grief over the tragic loss of her son in 2019 led her to campaign for road safety in his memory. Dayne Rech was struck by a car at the intersection of Bradford Drive and the Princes Highway in Traralgon during the early hours of February 16. He had been waiting to catch a lift home, having spent the evening with some friends not far from the area.
The 24-year-old boilermaker was struck by a car while trying to cross the road and died at the scene. His mother Angela Brown said a part of her died when she lost her son. “I don’t blame anyone for it. It’s not going to change anything,� she said. “It changes the way you think, who you are and what you do. It’s impossible to be the person you are before that happened. “It’s very hard to explain something that you’re trying to live with.
“It changes you because part of you dies with him, you lose that part of yourself really.� Mrs Brown knew that she had to do something positive to keep her son’s memory alive and help prevent other families from losing their loved ones to road accidents. A solar lighting system was installed earlier this month on the very spot where Dayne died. Returning to the scene of the incident last week proved to be a
painful moment for Mrs Brown and her husband Colin. Part of her was “still grieving� over her son’s death and another part was “relieved� that finally something was being done to prevent a similar situation from happening. The Browns initially contacted Member for Morwell Russell Northe about their concerns on road safety in the area. Continued on page 5
CRIME STATS RELEASED PAGE 3
photograph hayley mills
CREATIVE APPROACH PAGE 4
Shining a light on road safety: Angela and Colin Brown (left) at the intersection of Bradford Drive and Princes Highway in Traralgon where Dayne Rech (above) died after being struck by a car in February 2019.
SPECIAL FEATURE: MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS - PAGES 13-16
VALLEY SPORT
GP1613849
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email: sales.gippsland@steeline.com.au website: www.steeline.com.au
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