"Huntsman, when the alarm goes at six..."

I, like everyone, never imagined that we would be here today to remember and celebrate Morgan's life.

To Peter, Dawn, Lucy, Caroline, Kathryn and Simon, please accept, on behalf of all of his friends, our sympathy for your great loss.

Morgan was many things but chiefly he was a loving son, a caring brother and fantastic uncle. He spoke often of you, always with love and affection, especially his niece and nephew, Kathryn and Simon, who he complained of not seeing enough.

To know Morgan was to know his family. Peter and Dawn are kind, generous and welcoming. And Morgan's good relationships with Lucy and Caroline helped him with his natural confidence around women. It was obvious when around them that they were all good friends as well as siblings.

My memories of Morgan stretch back to our high school years at Shore but we became really good mates at university in Canberra in 1988. We arrived at John XXIII College at the ANU on the same day; the first day of 'O' Week not knowing that we would be doing the same subjects and living five doors down from each other. Familiar faces were few so it was with great surprise and some relief when Morgan's wide friendly grin greeted me when I wandered out the back of the college and in the direction of the loud music.

Morgs fitted very easily into college life. He was quickly involved in a number of university activities and established a wide and diverse group of friends. I don't remember him missing many, if any, gigs, balls or other significant social activity over the course of the next few years (although he might have slowed down on the social activities a couple of weeks before exam time). All the time he stayed incredibly fit; he was always running, rowing, playing rugby, swimming, climbing, surfing or cycling off somewhere.

Some of us put it off longer than others but eventually university has to end and we head into the real world. But, Morgs had a plan from first year; the first I knew of it was when he came charging in to my room at college holding raised Tim Bowden's "One Crowded Hour", the story of Neil Davis, the Australian war cameraman and correspondent. Morgs had just finished reading the book, his voice was raised and he was gesticulating wildly. The life of a foreign correspondent was full of excitement and adventure, and it was for him.

As we all know Morgan's career flourished. Morgs moved to Fairfax in the mid to late 1990's working in Sydney and Canberra. After a four month surfing, skiing and general adventure through South and Central America, Morgs really did have the travel bug and he was ready to take his career overseas. Before he did, however, Morgs picked up a Walkley for a series of articles he wrote for the AFR.

Morgs and I had a swim at Bronte a couple of days after the first of the award winning articles was published and in typical Morgan fashion, he was totally unfazed by the attention that he was getting. He seemed more interested in discussing the merits of the Wolfmother gig we had recently seen, and the upcoming Kaiser Chiefs gig at the Metro; and his proposed move to Jakarta.

As you know, Morgs showed his enthusiasm in a very special way. He was loud and animated. The level of enthusiasm is directly proportional to his vocal volume. That day was particularly loud. But, that said, It was a tough call for Morgs.

For those of you who don't know, Morgan's Sydney pad was at Bronte. When he first described it to me he said:
"Huntsman, when the alarm goes at six, I lift myself up onto one elbow and look out the window. If the surf's up, I am straight out of bed, if it's flat, I go back to sleep".

Morgan got very close to perfecting the “work / life balance” that our employers talk of. He was successful at both; his phone calls, emails and photos from Indonesia, full of humour and adventure were proof of one; and his Walkley and the award winning respect of his peers were proof of the other.

Morgan was very relaxed with himself and the choices he made. He was a great listener and conversationalist. He had a conviction in his own beliefs that enabled him to make decisions and follow paths without a fear of how others may perceive his actions. The ethical responsibility that quality journalism demands was a perfect partner for this trait.

We will miss him as a mate, the energy of his presence, his smile, and his determination to make the most of every minute.

Ben Hunter

Wednesday 21st March 2007
St Andrew's Cathedral