Party pauses to remember accident victims

Cynthia Banham ... recovering.
Photo: Andrew Taylor

THE injured Herald reporter Cynthia Banham was a special absentee guest last night at the annual Press Gallery Ball in Canberra.

Banham, who for three months has been battling serious burns, sent a message to colleagues who gathered at Parliament House with the nation's political and business leaders.

"Greetings from Ward 6 at Royal Perth Rehabilitation Hospital," read the message signed by Banham and her partner, the Herald Sun journalist Michael Harvey.

"We wish so very much that we could be with you tonight. We know the Garuda plane crash of March 7 affected the Parliament House community deeply. This much was evident from the many messages of support that flooded in to us during the days, weeks and months that followed."

Banham wrote with Harvey that it would be "hard for anyone in this room to imagine just how devastating the experience has been".

"Even now, it seems beyond imagining. Not a day passes, however, when we don't think of the colleagues whose lives were lost that awful morning.

"We are fighting to reclaim as much of our old lives as we can. It is going to be a long and difficult road but, together, through love and support for each other, we are working hard and we will be back home one day."

Alan Oakley, the editor of the Herald, said Banham was approaching the rehabilitation process with "her customary energy". "She has a long way to go, but all of us are humbled by the courage she has shown so far, and the progress she has made," he said.

Morgan Mellish, the Australian Financial Review Jakarta correspondent killed in the crash, was also honoured at last night's event. Proceeds from the ball are to be donated to the Burn Foundation and to Surf Aid - in honour of Mellish, who was a committed surfer.

Annabel Crabb
June 21, 2007 SMH

Newseum

Newseum is a non-profit museum of news and journalism that will reopen this year in Washington, DC. They plan to include Morgan in the Journalists Memorial. The memorial honors reporters, editors, broadcasters, and photojournalists who lost their lives reporting the news. The Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial provides a preliminary list of journalists who died in 2007.

Tribes & Nations & XSProject

Tribes & Nations, a global store empowering lives, now sell XSProject bags in their online store.
You can read an article by Nila Tanzil on her blog or read the story of my XSProject bags here.

Remembering...

Morgan Mellish Memorial Fund

To honour Morgan’s sense of adventure two of his friends, Ian Prentice & Greg Beard, will be completing the Greenland Adventure Race in September this year.

The race features 40 kilometres of kayaking, 50 kilometres of mountain biking, and roughly 90 kilometres on foot and is ranked No.3 in the Lonely Planet’s Most Gruelling Events.
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Five tough days of competing in the beautiful, wild and diverse terrain of Greenland.

Ian and Greg will be seeking sponsorship to raise $15,000 for an Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) to be donated to the Pacific Palms Surf Life Saving Club, at Elizabeth Beach near Blueys, on the NSW Central Coast. Blueys Beach was Morgan’s favourite surfing spot.

The IRB will be named "The Morgan Mellish".

All money raised will go to the Pacific Palms Surf Life Saving Club.

MORGAN MELLISH MEMORIAL FUND
BSB 032020 AC 207320

Thank you for your support.

Team Stupid

Looking at this photo takes me back to a classic tale which always reminds me of Morgs.
Simon, Morgs and I went to NZ for our first real taste of adventure together.
This is the trip we all learnt to rock climb on. None of us had yet amassed any adventure gear. We all borrowed or bought what we needed. Hiking boots were expensive, so I thought 'Why not buy a pair of boots I could also wear out to social events'.
Ah! Timberlands...stylish and yet practical...the perfect combination. Morgs and Simon were in awe of my wise thinking. I remember Simon remarking that I had made the right decision.
One of the many creeds of Team Stupid is...never wear-in or try out a pair of boots before attempting a five day trek in the alps of New Zealand.
Day one...dropped at the bottom of Cascade Saddle (one of the hardest treks in the South Island).
We scurry up the side of Cascade Saddle as quickly as possible to get stunning views of Mt. Aspiring.
Hmmm...
My feet don't feel so good, no worries...keep going...no, something's not right...get to the top...take the shoes off...don't really want to look...two blisters the size of eggs on each foot.
Morgan has never laughed so hard.
About a week later in Queenstown Morgan sees a guy with a Timberland baseball cap on.
He breaks out laughing and says "I wonder if he took it off he would have blisters on his forehead".

Juz

Juz,

I'm pretty sure that is the top of Cascade Saddle with Aspiring in the background. It was a good trip, we really packed a lot in.
A couple of
things come to mind with that trip...
- walking through the ice tunnels
- having a shower in a waterfall straight off a glacier
- having to keep walking while stopped for lunch because the sand flies were so bad
- Glenorchy Steamer (Morgs affectionate name for his bowel movements)
- 80 river crossings in one day
- the abandoned mining hut
- sliding down the grass hill
- climbing
- inventing the new climbing knot - the cluster f**k
- the hot tub
- arm wrestling strangers in a pub, with Morgan quick to volunteer me
- continually standing on Dave's climbing ropes (how many beers did we have to buy him?)

I liked your story, I remember those shoes and the blisters.

Simon

It's Raining Men

Morgan was nothing short of brilliant when it came to music selection in pubs.
Morgs and I went mountain bike riding at Wiseman Ferry which involves an over night stay at the local pub.
I'd buy the first round of beers and Morgs sets up the pool table and fires up the jukebox.
Normally the Wiseman's Ferry hotel is a favourite of hardcore motor bike riders who come up to enjoy the quite roads through the bush.
An eerie hush fell across the room when Morgan's first selection, 'It's Raining Men' came on ...
Luckily our lives were spared when Paradise by the Dashboard Light came on.
Few people can hit the high notes of Meatloaf whilst doing the most complex air guitar moves like Morgs.
Justin