A year later...

A year later and we still miss you Dane Eaton.

Till we meet again brother on that beautiful shore,

you will forever be in our hearts, in our minds 

and in our prayers. 

To read more about Dane and his story, 

read here, here and here.

A Memorial for Dane

These beautiful photos were taken by Timothy P Ongley, a friend of Dane's who incidentally also captured the photos of Dane riding. These photos were inspired by Dane and I just had to post this on my blog as there were some really good photos. 

Tim also managed to take some photos at the memorial service for Dane which are below. So as you see these few photos, say a prayer for Dane my little brother, the Eaton's, Maija and all of Dane's friend who miss him.

Sometimes, I look to the sky and wonder if the ones who have left us for a better place, smile down upon us.

I would like to think that they do.

He can now fly with his Angels wings.

Maija and Lee {our elder brother} plant a magnolia tree in memory of Dane. May the tree grow strong and tall and bring shade and comfort to many.

Till we meet again on that beautiful shore Dane. Rest in peace.

Far beyond the starry sky

Today is the memorial for Dane in Temora and 

I wish I could be there with my host family 

and my friends to bid him farewell.

But I am here, stuck in the office 

wondering and imagining how it would be like.

So since I am here and can’t say the words, 

I will send my words in the form of a prayer to my 

host family, Dane’s friends and to Maija.

I pray that they be comforted with the knowledge 

that he is in a better place waiting for all of us one day. 

I pray that they be consoled and that 

they have the strength to carry on with their lives 

with pieces of Dane in their hearts always. 

I pray that there will be helping hands 

and caring shoulders and outstretched arms 

to comfort them on days 

when the pain is great and hearts ache

 for his friendship, his smile, 

his laughter, his words. 

I pray for love not to replace 

but to heal broken hearts. I pray for all this.

“Soon He's coming back to welcome me,

Far beyond the starry sky!

I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown

I shall reign with Him on high!”

Rest in peace dearest Dane Eaton.

You will be forever in our hearts.

I miss you Dane Eaton

Today morning was a little slow I felt. B and I had our breakfast together since we were early and as I sipped on my iced coffee, I got a phone call. I was a little surprised, after all, it wasn't even 8.45am. So, I picked up the phone and looked to see who was calling and I realised that the number was an Australian number. My first reaction was one of joy, after all it is not often that I get calls from down under... but that turned to sadness all too soon.

I answered the call and it was Daneka, one of the besties I had from my days in Temora. She asked me if I had been on Facebook lately and then she said that she wanted me to know before I saw it online that my host brother, Dane Eaton had passed away {Read here and here for my information about how he passed on}


My eyes started tearing up and I could not quite compose my sentences. But then, what could one expect after news like that. My heart broke and I felt a whole range of emotions. 

I felt sad and I felt all coiled up inside and I felt pretty crap. I felt like getting on a plane to be with my host family. And then I feel thankful that I was not there. That I am saved by the distance. Because I would be a wreck amongst people that know him. 

Here in Malaysia, I am safe because no one knows him and if I like, I can pretend. I can pretend really well that this didn't happen. That just a couple of thousand miles away, Dane is happy. That Dane is alive. But I can't pretend this time and I feel such sadness.

I can't begin to imagine how my host parents and family feel at this sudden shock. I don't even want to think about his fiancée who must be so heart broken and lonely. Or how his friends would feel. I sit here tapping on my keyboard and I wish I could do more. I feel helpless but a friend said that sometimes, just praying, thinking, sharing the pain and the tears and crying to mourn would be enough. 

Luca (my host brother from Italy) and I were trying to call the family but we had the wrong number. I was sent the right one today. I will call tomorrow morning and speak to them but I am afraid. I am afraid because I may say the wrong things. That I might cry so much and be a useless mess. I am worried because I don't know what to do... but I guess God will guide me to do what is needed.

My heart goes out to my host dad Dan and my host mum Myrna, Lee, Jessi, Sara and Maija his fiancée whom I never got the pleasure to meet. I pray that God will shower them with comfort, peace, strength and courage to face this troubling time and I pray that the Angels watch over all of them and keep them in His care. I wish I could be there with all of you but know that you are all in my prayers and thoughts. 

B also wrote a blog post dedication for Dane which aptly captures the things I feel...

"Dane Eaton, formerly from Temora, passed away after being thrown off his Suzuki at Old Junee in the Wagga Wagga area, Australia last Saturday, 12 March 2011. He was thrown off his bike after hitting a power pole at a railway crossing while the bike caught fire after the crash.

He was 24.


My fiancee, DreamWeaver, was family to Dane and the Eatons for a year as she was in Australia for a student exchange programme back in 2000. Dane was a brother and a friend to DW for the entire time that she was there. Dane's family graciously hosted her and cared for her like one of their own when she was there and she still has many fond memories of her time there and sometimes she shares with me her memories and her stories about her time in Australia and in Temora specifically.

DW returned to Australia 2 years ago and managed to spend a day with her host family, including Dane but they were in the process of moving to a new home so she did not get to spend that much time with them. From what I can recall of her stories, Dane was a good listener and a fun loving guy. He introduced her to The Far Side Gallery and Harry Potter and helped her with her home sickness when she was down. He made her feel welcome in their home and he introduced her to the people in town. It was a shame that they didn't get to spend more time together back then but her return to the Eaton family home, Jesadale, was a journey that was memorable to say the least.

I do not know much of Dane myself, but I was very much looking forward to the possibility of them visiting next February when DW and I will tie the knot. It's a shame that Dane won't be there with us in person as I know DW would have loved it if he could have come along with the whole Eaton family. 

There's no more pain now, my brother. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Eatons and his fiancée, Maija. May you rest in peace, Dane. ForeverTwoWheels."

One day soon Dane-O, we will meet again. We will walk from the main road through the Bennett's drive to Jesadale and we will talk and we will laugh about life, about love and everything in between. 

Then at night, when the stars have come out to play, 

we will lay a blanket on the wet grass {like we used to do} 

and gaze up into the sky and make wishes on falling stars and daydream out loud.

You are missed deeply.

Say 'Hi' to Angel for me.