Her emotional posts for her husband describe how lonely she and their child feel without him.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on January 13, 2020. It has since been updated.
To say that the Australian bushfire has wreaked havoc on the planet will not be an exaggeration. Every now and then, heartbreaking news of animals and people dying and suffering is causing emotional turmoil around the world too.
Another story of a family torn apart by the disaster has surfaced from down under and it will make you feel helpless and panicked at the same time.
A young father passed away saving his house from the raging fire while his wife was away from the property. On learning about his demise, his pregnant wife wrote a heartfelt tribute to him on Facebook expressing how their life will never be the same.
Patrick Salway, 29, a farmer and a father was found dead by his father, Robert, 63 (who also lost his life in the fire), in a small township west of Bermagui and in between Narooma and Bega on the Princes Highway. “We can say certainly that the two men at Cobargo are residents of Cobargo. A father and son, as we believe,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
EMERGENCY WARNING: Currowan Fire (Shoalhaven LGA). The fire continues to burn towards a number of areas around Nowra and the Princes Hwy near Fishermans Paradise. This video was taken on Cabbage Tree Lane at Nowra Hill.
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 31, 2019
📹 Mark Coombe - NSW RFS #nswrfs #nswfires pic.twitter.com/Xv7mBCoK9s
Reports suggest that the two men stayed back trying to protect their home from the raging fire while the ladies, Patrick's mother and wife were away from the property.
Princes Hwy blocked near Brogo, north of Bega. Only emergency services vehicles getting through to Cobargo @abcnews pic.twitter.com/jXlHqmgFqo
— Jade Macmillan (@JadeMacmillan1) December 31, 2019
Patrick’s wife Renee took to Facebook to pay tribute to her husband. In a few emotional words, she revealed how his passing away has left her and their toddler son "broken." She also thanked people for the concern and condolences that they have received.
Making a child understand that his father would never return can be a tough and heartbreaking task. What's even more painful is that Renee also has to bring up another child in a world without his/her father. Yes! According to the Daily Telegraph, Renee is pregnant with their second child and we couldn't even start to imagine the pain she must be going through and the fear of the future that must be troubling her.
She took to Facebook to share her grief and thank well-wishers for their condolences. Along with two pictures of Patrick, she wrote:
I love you now, I love you still, I always have and I always will.
I will see you again Patrick, my best friend.
Hope you are up there “fixing things in the stars tonight” 🌌 Love forever Harley & Me
(Thank you everyone for your concern. We are broken).
Renee and their child, Harley started receiving a shower of condolences and love after she shared the news with everyone and these messages will make you believe that humanity is not dead yet.
“Very sad day. Taken way too young,” a commenter wrote.
“Sending our love to you and your family Renee. I’m so sorry,” wrote another.
In another post, she shared a throwback picture from the day their son was born and the caption will break your heart. She wrote, "Once upon a time, life was perfect✨😞.
What a joke this is... absolute joke."
Mr. Allen, who has known the family most of his life, said Patrick was an “affable” guy who loved horse riding. His father, Robert was a “really community-minded bloke”, he added.
But it doesn't end there, within 30 hours of this heartbreaking news, the Salway family suffered another blow. Robert's mother and Patrick's grandma Edna quietly passed away without learning about the fate of her son and grandson reports Daily Telegraph. Patrick's sister's husband, Dean Hancock, took to Facebook to confirm the news saying, “suffered yet another loss with the peaceful passing of Robert’s mother Edna.”
Paying tribute to the Salways, Mr. Hancock said, “Robert and Patrick were two of the most genuine and family-oriented men I have ever met.” He added, “You will leave a massive, massive hole in the dynamic of, not only this family but the whole community.”
References:
https://au.news.yahoo.com/australia-bushfires-two-people-confirmed-dead-cobargo-nsw-050213198.html
