By Shelby Brooks
A foundation has been set up in the memory of a Pakenham grandfather who was tragically killed in a hit and run in February.
Don Brown of Pakenham lost his life a week after he was hit by a car while riding his Vespa-style scooter on Healesville-Kooweerup Road Tuesday 9 February.
His family, in conjunction with the Royal Melbourne Hospital where Don was cared for after the accident, has created the Don Brown Foundation which will provide access to educational courses and seminars for ICU workers.
“This is something my family and I are so happy and proud to have been able to make become a reality and it will leave a legacy for a great man,” Don’s son Tommy said.
“We want it to go somewhere we feel would honour my Dad’s memory,” Tommy said.
The foundation has been set up in time for the ‘Run for Don’ fundraiser event to be held 25 July.
Don’s family will be running and walking to raise money for the foundation, which will go directly into the trauma unit at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Tommy said the family wanted to give back to the hospital that cared for his father.
“The hospital was fantastic while we were there,” Tommy said.
“It was probably the most horrible thing you could go through, but the staff were so gentle and made it as easy as possible.
“We built a big connection being in there a long time saw what the staff had to go through, so we felt that was something we wanted to do.”
The family have already raised $2600 for the trauma unit at the Royal Melbourne Hospital but now have their sights set on a bigger and better.
“Just after Dad passed away we were getting a lot of flowers which in the end it meant nothing,” Tommy said.
“So, we asked people instead of sending flowers, could they donate money to the hospital.
“Now, I have decided to do a half marathon to raise some more money and it’s ended up with my whole family is doing it and also my family in the UK will also be doing it, obviously in a different time zone,” Tommy said.
The aim is $5000.
“This is what has been keeping me going at this stage,“ Tommy said.
“Myself and my wife are doing a half marathon, Mum is walking 5km and we’ve got nieces and nephews doing 10km.“
The UK family members will be running in a park that was one of Don’s favourite places, coinciding with the same week a memorial bench will be opened.
Tommy said the last few months had been incredibly difficult for everyone.
“We’re trying to be as much positive as we can,” Tommy said.
“It is very easy at times like this to go to the other place and be dark so we’re just trying to thankful for the rest of our family being here and trying to share something in dad’s memory let people keep living how he was as a person.
“He had literally only just retired only a few months before the accident happened. He worked his whole life, from 15 as a bricklayer.
“He tended to get around since he retired, he just loved to talk and he spoke to everybody and loved to have a chat so there were a lot of people who reached out who said they had one conversation with him.”
To donate head to gofundme.com/f/run-for-don.
