Mysterious Mick

An old Ian Warden allusion – Upper Aranda.

Suicides are generally not well publicised in the media.

I truly had not seen this sort of memorial before . . .

What’s upper Aranda got to do with all of this?

That’s sad about Mick! Was it a widely publicised situation, or you just know through your employee Cranky?

I believe it is in memory of a ‘Mick’ who unfortunately took his own life near the Erindale Centre late last year.

My employee has a similar sticker. Mick was very well thought of by a large number of people, which can only add to the sorrow.

You’re right. It’s not the sort of display common in Upper Aranda.

I’ve seen a few cars like this in my travels around Canberra… it seems a little odd to me, certainly not my cup of tea, but to each his own I guess.

Clown Killer said :

I’m waiting to see one with the shape of the southern cross depicted in frangipani stickers … on the back of a Hyundai.

LMFAO!

I know that several sites around canberra have memorials to people killed on the road, complete with crosses, photos and flowers.

… but do people stand beside them day after day, proclaiming themselves to be in mourning? Do they wear t-shirts that say “my mate died”? Leaving a memorial in a particular place seems to me more appropriate than carrying one around on display with you.

Grieving is a very important process, of course. Perhaps it is a cultural thing, as others have stated – to me, there’s just a hint of attention-seeking in this display that makes me a tad uncomfortable.

All said and done, I guess, it’s not something I’d do. If this is how the person deals with something tragic happening, and it’s helping them cope or understand, I guess that’s OK.

I’m pretty sure that this Mick was a young fella who died about a year ago, maybe the one Auntyem is talking about, suicide IIRC, the wake was at the Mawson club. I see the car there a bit.

I went to a wake in Dingle once. I must have passed out at about 4.00 am. I woke up, still in the village hall with the mother of all hangovers, only to have a half glass of whisky thrust into my hand, and to be invited back onto the dancefloor..

If that bloke was being really honest it should have read “Beneath the Southern Cross I stand … my limp little dick in my hand”. Seriously, what king of knob would do that?

I’m waiting to see one with the shape of the southern cross depicted in frangipani stickers … on the back of a Hyundai.

peterh said :

yeah, but an irish wake goes for days… until the grog runs out.

The Irish have never run out of grog. The only reason it stops after a few days is because they’ve consumed so much grog that they can’t remember what they were crying about…

Speaking of bogan PVC stickers on the back window of ute’s, I saw a step further than the standard stars of the Southern Cross. It was a pretty nice looking ute, cheapened by old English text trying to look classy “beneath the southern cross I stand” in big lettering, with the cursory stars in the background.

Probably on his way to Sydney to go and bash a few “multicultural” types. I’d also go as far to bet the owner has the same text and starts tattooed on their back.

Each to their own…I suppose!

I suspect that it’s a bit of a bogan thing – the pubic advertisement of mourning that is. A mate of mines son died a couple of years ago and many of his bogan mates had PVC stickers made up for their cars with the same sort of message.

Pommy bastard said :

Some cultures go more for the whole public grief thing than others, though not the Irish, so one has to wonder.

yeah, but an irish wake goes for days… until the grog runs out.

Some cultures go more for the whole public grief thing than others, though not the Irish, so one has to wonder.

fnaah said :

Grieving in public is one thing, advertising your grief to total strangers goes a bit beyond that, I think.

how so?

it is an act of remembrance. They had a friend who died, and they want his memory to continue. I know that several sites around canberra have memorials to people killed on the road, complete with crosses, photos and flowers. are they any different as they are advertising the family’s grief to total strangers?

good on these people for remembering a friend.

Grieving in public is one thing, advertising your grief to total strangers goes a bit beyond that, I think.

It is singularly odd, but we all grieve in our own way, some more public than others .

They must really miss Mick, it would have taken a while to get those “southern cross” stickers off the back window to make room for the Mick sticker.

R.I.P. Mick

I know there was a Canberra Mick who died this time last year (19th Feb). He was a very popular guy – the car owner may be a relation.

Clearly not normal skerbo [poptop said with ambiguous lack of commas]

Poptop are you normal? When my friend passed away 10 years ago alot of people got Wes Performance stickers made up for their cars….Its very common for people that have lost loved ones to have a memorial sticker on their car. Some of us get tattoo’s and some of us get stickers. How was this not the first thought that crossed ur mind?

. . . or his dog or his life partner or his previous ute.

It is a cultural practice I had not previously come across and wanted to share.

In my culture, RIP usually appears on headstones not vehicles, so I am left with a concern that Mick is in the back of the ute.

It was probably a mate or brother of the owner… how hard is that to work out?