Another one bites the dust ...

Mum just called to let me know another one of my brothers has died. It wasn't a surprise - he was literally on his death-bead a few times last year and despite numerous health problems continued to smoke and drink. Add to that a misspent youth of drug abuse and kleptomania and who knows what else, and it was pretty much a foregone conclusion. It's surprising perhaps that he even made it to his early 50's in the first place.

Barely knew him myself - he disappeared for about 10 years in the mid 80s, finally turning up in Perth as a lawyer (which was surprising given his past). I think he always blamed mum for pushing him to get a trade rather than follow educational prospects, but I think he must've fried his brain so much he forgot what a dope-head he was at the time. Then again, I was a bit too young at the time to really grok what was going on. Then he more or less circumnavigated the whole country in the years following, having a son with his girlfriend along the way.

Seems the census collector found him when she returned to pick up the census form (his gf left him a couple of years ago, apparently to futilely chase some young bloke). Given that the collector (probably) dropped it off a week earlier and it wasn't touched, he may have died some time before that. Bit sad I suppose. And it's not like this was in the city either, it was a country town. Nothing like a bit of community cohesion! On ya Australia!

2 down, 7 to go ...

Still, even if it wasn't unexpected and I barely knew him, death of a sibling is still a strange thing to experience, even the second time around.