Vale Phillip Hughes: a nation thanks you

A defining moment when all those negative stereotypes of the Australian male were cast aside, leaving an enduring image of young men who share and care.

It is said that witnessing a death changes you. That enduring the death of a loved one changes you forever, in ways you could never imagine. And that the death of someone young, in the prime of their life, with so much more to give, leaves a void impossible to fill.

To the family and friends of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes, who died on Thursday afternoon from head injuries sustained while playing the sport he loved so much and at which he excelled, everyone at Fairfax expresses our deepest sympathies.

Mercifully, as Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said, "he was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends".

There has been an outpouring of well-wishing and now grief, such was the 25-year-old Hughes' popularity and the respect he had earned.

As Prime Minister Tony Abbott made clear, "he was loved, admired and respected by his teammates and by legions of cricket fans".

To those in the cricketing and broader sporting world who have felt the batsman's tragedy so deeply and personally, our thoughts are with you too.

Now is the time for sharing stories about the great bloke you knew, the enormous talent he possessed, and  the good nature with which he faced and conquered the obstacles in his short life.   

As Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland put it, Hughes was a testament to his country upbringing: humble, understated and hard working. His hometown of Macksville mourns a favourite son; a man who was a delight to be around.

Tagged a boy wonder, Hughes travelled from the mid-north coast to Sydney, playing his initial game of first-class cricket at age 18. He made a half-century. Before being struck on Tuesday, he had scored 63 in his innings and he was on the verge of a recall to the national team, having already played 26 Tests. He hit a century in each innings of just his second Test. He amassed 26 first-class centuries. He would have turned 26 on Sunday.

To the doctors who fought so hard with Hughes to give him every chance, thank you. Rarely has the skill and empathy of the medical profession been on such public display. Everyone should be secure in the knowledge that, should things ever go bad for us, there are people there to give us their best shot.

To every member of the public who has been distressed by this tragedy and fear what Hughes' loved ones are enduring, take solace from this: life goes on – a little harder, but also a little stronger.

And to Sean Abbott, the bowler whose delivery struck Hughes in a freak accident that was no one's fault and just a natural result of playing a sport of skill, excitement and, yes, enormous physical risks, we are thinking of you.

Stay well. Listen to the advice of those who know how fragile you are, even if you don't fully realise.

But most of all remember this: it was your arms who cradled your mate in his most vulnerable time, when he needed human kindness the most, at a defining moment when  so many negative stereotypes of the Australian male were cast aside, leaving an enduring image of young men who share and care.

That remains the legacy of this tragedy and the lasting impression of Phillip Hughes.  Seize every opportunity. Do the things you love. Persevere. And be the sort of person of whom family, friends and even a nation can be so rightly proud.

smh.com.au