Good morning my name is Matthew Wex and I am honoured to get this opportunity to speak on behalf of the Wex family. The following recollections were written by my Mum, Val.

The Wex family came to Emu Park at the end of 1977. We met Lorna and Doug Rossiter on arrival and shortly after that met Kate and Ross. Mara was just one. We immediately all became good friends as we had a lot in common. Both Dennis and Ross were school teachers, we had children of a close age and Kate and Val shared the desire to build a good life for their families in Emu Park.

Our live have been intertwined every day, every week, every month, every year since we met. All through the childhoods or our children the parents worked to build a kindergarten together, to run the tuck shop at school, to be on the P&C, to provide sporting opportunities through Nippers, basketball and other sports throughout those formative years. Many wonderful holidays were spent together on the islands of Keppel Bay. Many parties and social events over the years added to the friendship. We didn’t have extended family close by and as a result our families became family. Mara is like another sibling to our children and I know she has always thought of Matt, Kirstine and Rory as her siblings. We have been involved in every major event, every trivial event and everything in between since we met. As young people we forged a lifelong friendship.

Ross, Lorna and Dennis taught us all to love Rugby League and to scream blue murder during the State of Origin. We fished together, played tennis together, beach combed together, joined Lions together, worked, lived, laughed, cried, fought together and always knew that the bond between our 3 families was irreplaceable. We have been through the ups and downs of life, been there for one another in good times and bad and that bond will not break now. It will be stronger.

Ross was an artist in every sense of the word. His fantastic tangible art work, his stoic didecation to the beauty of the enviroment in Emu Park and his ability to see the whole picture not just a portion of it made him a unique human being. He had a great imagination and a rare ability to succeed in everything he did.

Ross was also on occasions argumentative and possessed a special ability to fire you up so that a creative conversation could occur. Without people like Ross life would be boring.

Matt-

Speaking personally I remember many animated conversations between my mum and Ross to which us kids would all look at each other and say not again. Ross had a fantastic wit and sharp sense of humour, he teased us all mercilessly growing up but we were never short of a laugh. His love of Emu Park was reflected in his community work, just last week he played his part yet again in a successful Oktoberfest and in Saturdays paper we saw his dream for the area right behind us. As witnessed by todays attendance he played a positive part in all of our lives, I know I am a better person for having had Ross in my life.

Anyway I know he is up there saying just get on with it so we can all have a beer.

We will miss him terribly and will always love you Ross. Rest in peace.