The Stratton family need our help

Hi all, our names are Christine & Sue, we are reaching out to as many people as possible to help our friend/ex work colleague Simon and his family in their time of need.

Here is the back story - in late 2021, Simon & Diane decided they needed a change, and they relocated from Geelong to Benaraby, near Gladstone, QLD. Di loaded up the car and drove the family to their new hometown earlier this year, whilst Simon remained in Geelong to complete work commitments. In early September, Simon worked his last shift and drove to QLD to join his family to start their new life together. Tragically on September 24th, a month before their 25th wedding anniversary, Diane unexpectedly passed away at the age of 44, leaving behind Simon and their four children, the youngest two being under the age of 5. Diane had the most infectious personality, was larger than life, would do anything for anyone, and was bubbly and happy. She liked to sing, always had a smile, and was very quick-witted and cheeky to boot. After working so hard for their new beginning, everyone has been stunned by this turn of events.

The family struggles to come to terms with the loss of this extraordinary lady. As newcomers to the town, Simon has yet to build connections/friends, only having arrived 3 weeks earlier. Simon does have some family close by but will need extra help with the young ones to enable him to get back to work and navigate life without Diane.

As a caring community, we are allowing Simon to grieve and sort out things such as daycare, kinder, schools and a job that can fit with a single-parent life.

Any donations, big or small, will help go a long way to assist Simon and his family. Please share with your friends and family as we try and get around Simon in this tragic time. Thank you all for your support.