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Match recalls a tragic loss

By Paul Pickering
THE Lyndale and Olinda-Ferny Creek football clubs were united in honour of a fallen teammate on the weekend.

The Pumas and Bloods came together for a memorial match at Lyndale’s Barry Powell Reserve on Saturday, paying tribute to Jason Byrne, a loyal servant of both clubs who died last December.
Byne died at the age of 31, having returned to Lyndale in 2007 after a stint with the Bloods in the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League.
His nine years at Barry Powell Reserve reaped two reserves premierships and a league best-and-fairest award.
The match was the brainchild of Lyndale reserves coach Ed McLean and Olinda-Ferny Creek vice-captain George Azzam, who arranged and promoted the game in a bid to salvage some meaning from the death of their great mate.
The idea was to raise awareness for the national depression initiative, Beyond Blue, with information packs available on the day.
In a moving tribute to their former teammate, the clubs observed a minute’s silence on the ground, before Byrne’s wife, Gay, was invited to toss the coin.
McLean said that Byrne would be remembered as a loyal friend and teammate who would do anything for his club.
“There were more than 300 people at the funeral,” he said. “It came as a shock to the whole community, because we’re a pretty tight knit bunch.”
The futility of Byrne’s death prompted McLean to make some sort of contribution to the Beyond Blue initiative.
“I think it’s a great cause and it’s only really getting the attention now,” he said.
Similarly, Azzam recognised the need to bring the issue of depression out of the darkness.
“We wanted to do this to raise awareness of the options that people have,” he said. “Blokes often don’t ask for help, I think it’s a pride thing. But we pulled the boys aside this week and talked about the need to keep the communication lines open.”
Donations were also made to Beyond Blue through the sale of wristbands, fridge magnets, raffles and a silent auction of sports memorabilia and tickets.
On field, the Bloods claimed a 39-point victory, while the Pumas received a valuable hit-out ahead of their season-opener this Saturday.
More information on depression and anxiety is available at www.beyondblue.org.au.