R.I.P Johnny Sleigh; Waimate and Southern Man

Its always a sad day when someone dies overseas. Johnny Sleigh (picture courtesy of NZ Herald) was a chap who grew up about 15 km from our family farm near Waimate (South Canterbury). I remember both him and his brother catching the school bus at their farm gate (Johnny was about 4 years younger than me). In fact his brother David was recently at a 40th I attended a couple of months back.

I have experienced a brother having a bad accident overseas and know just how much shock and stress is put on the family. My thoughts are with his family. If there is an upside it is that they at least found him relatively quickly and can bring him home. The fact that no foul play seems to have been involved is a good thing although it raises a whole lot of other questions that his family will want to try and understand. Like what happened and how?

Lets face it this could happen to any Kiwi on their OE. Wrong place, wrong time can be all it takes. An army colleague I served with, Kelly Banks, was killed when he fell down a wall on the banks of the Tiberius River in Rome. He was on leave from Bosnia at the time. A childhood friend was killed on a motor cycle in London so it does happen with some regularity.

It is a good reminder that we should live every day like it is our last. Remember to enjoy the moment as well as the journey.

R.I.P. Johnny Sleigh.