This is some sad news, just one of life's hard to understand verdicts.

Many of you will know Neil Morris, Pommie Neil, long blond hair lived in a cream and green bus for the last couple of years, travelled all over Oz?

Neil was diagnosed with a serious and aggressive cancer a few weeks ago. It is affecting his liver in a big way at the moment, the cancer in his liver is a secondary, it seems to have started in one of his eyes, it is unusual and very difficult to treat.

Neil's life is on the line. I saw him yesterday, people who know him would find it hard to recognise him at the moment.

Neil is in a lot of pain, he is on a morhine drip, and is finding it hard to deal with visitors and phone calls. His family have travelled from the UK to be with him at this critical time, and they need space to spend time with him too. Neil is in a hospital in Sydney, has been for a couple of weeks now. The doctors are very concerned for his survival, at one point last week he was told he may only have 24 hrs to live!

We are getting a big card, with a positive message that well wishers can sign if they call in to the Kitepower Sans Souci store over the weekend. We will drop the card over to Neil next week, so if you are in the area over the weekend drop in and sign the card for Neil.

Please keep Neil in your thoughts and prayers, he is a really nice bloke and is doing it tough at the moment.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve McCormack

Thanks for letting us know Steve,
That's rotten.
I met Neil at Mambo last year, after many beers, he was trying to convince Adrian from Underground to go double concave. Adrian wasn't so sure. Then we discovered that I had bought his old board. Great board too, now with special significance.
Strength to Neil and all those with him.

This is terrible news. I am shocked. Neil and I spent alot of time in Port Douglas two seasons ago. He loves life and has a tonne of stories to tell, mega keen kiter (lives for it), and just a general top bloke. The door of his coaster bus was always open to me and Lyall when I was up there.

GET BETTER MAN! I WANT TO SEE YOU KITING ON THE GOLDY SOON!

I don't know Neil, I never met him, however, I wish him, his family and friends all the best, and to be strong in this moments. It is a sad story, and as Steve said, we have to leave our lifes to the full!!
Good luck Neil, I hope you will get better, never loose the hope!!!!!

Sadly Neil lost his battle with that aggressive cancer early this morning around 6.30am.

We should celebrate Neil's life, and remember all the happy moments we spent with him, thats what Neil would like.
Neil was always smiling, always happy to see another kiter and share some time with them.
Death is one of the many sad mysteries of life, all of us will meet with that destiny ourselves, so lets just send out positive thoughts and feelings for Neil and his family.

It was such a grace for him and his family to have been able to spend these last few days together.

Last night there was a warmth and intimacy in the room with Neil that was tangible, everyone felt their love for Neil.

At one point he made supreme effort to get out of bed once more to sit in a chair and attempt to be with his family and friends more directly. We could all feel the huge effort he made, he had no strength left though, he was unable to sit unassisted. He even had difficulty holding his head up, alternating from leaning on his mate Craigs shoulder to my own.
At one point he let out a huge sigh, and I felt then that he was letting go, that he has realised he had to surrender to the big One thing that is really in charge.
Then he opened his eyes wide, looked at me and smiled, I will never forget that look of peace in his face.

It was no real suprise he did not last another day.

Hopefully Neil is flying free, boosting large, and doing all the moves he dreamed of.

Funeral will most likely be on Monday, look in the papers tomorrow for more details or call the shop, it will be in the Manly area.
Neil passed away at the Manly district hospital.

Cya mate

and Goodwinds

Steve McCormack

Another sad loss for the kiting community. We offer our deepest condoloences to his family and friends and thanks Steve for bringing this to the attention of the kiting community.

Maybe this is a good opportunity to allow this sombre moment to touch you even just for a moment, and take the opportunity to give someone you care about a call and tell them you love them for no reason other than to make them feel good.

Very Sad,

...I didn't really know the guy...just recognised him as the dude with the long blonde hair in the coaster bus that seemed to ALWAYS be at the kite spots round sydney whenever there was even a hint of a breeze. "What a life he has...just kiting all the time...sweet!".
We spoke to each other a couple of times but I never really made an effort to introduce myself and get to know the guy..."maybe next time"...(sound familiar?..)
I read the thread earlier today and was obviously shocked to learn of this tragedy and for some reason as the day has gone on I cant get it out of my head. Neil didnt deserve the card he was dealt.
I'll be at the funeral to pay my respects and if your like me, even not really knowing Neil, you'll be there too, just to say goodbye to a guy that had it all...

Thanks Steve for posting the thread. I hope this tragic event sends a chill up everyone's spine as it has mine. Live life to the full and the next time you kite...think of Neil coz you can rest assured that if he was there he would be boosting big!

RIP brother

I never met Neil but I can see that he was a man that followed his dreams. That is truly admirable and we need more people like him. Someone thatloves life and is always putting smiles on other peoples faces.

May God give his family strength and peace.

Mike

My condoleances to neil's family and friends.
Neil i hope you got to live some of your dreams in life, sounds like you have done more than most of us ever will.

till we meet again.

Neil's family will really appreciate all the messages about our mate Neil.
Here is an image of Neil..........

www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=2040

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve McCormack

It is really sad to lose such a great guy like Neil. And if a picture ever speaks more than 1000 words, the one that Steve posted sais it all...

We will all miss him.

Moritz

Having just arrived back home after a full day of celebrating the life of

Neil Morris RIP 7/7/06.

Interestings snipets of info filtered through the ocean of emotions that flowed in and around the simple, beautiful, and extremely moving ceremony that transpired in North Ryde and later at Manly Beach, where Neil's funeral/cremation happened and was then followed by an informal wake in the pub and on the footpath at South Manly.

About midday on Wednesday, around 48 hrs before Neil's passing, he has assisted by close friends in a short walk along the balcony outside his room to take in the view of Sydney Harbour while sharing a spliff. He commented to his close friends to not worry about him, that he would be out of "here" on Friday, and that he was going for A Big Swim on Friday.

Neil passed on at around 6.30am Friday the 7th of July 2006.

Wherever Neil parked his bus, if he had been kiting, as was often would be the case, he would slowly unload the vast contents hiding/stored in the arse end of this bus onto the surrounding fences, trees, shrubs, footpaths, roadside, etc, to dry/air out, much to the attention of anyone passing by or living in the vicinity. If you happened to make a comment like what are you doing Neil? He would simply reply WHAT??
Hands raised to the sky, face smiling!! And go about his drying /airing business, quietly, alone or with your obliging and accepting company.

In Manly today a very unseasonal 10 - 12 knot Noreast wind blew in as we all farewelled our mate over a few ales. It would have been kiteable, if any of us could have been dragged away.

Neils closest friends compiled a wonderful powerpoint slide show set to a couple of tracks from the Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon album, at the crematorium it was a very moving ceremony, there was not a dry eye in the building.

It is an utterly unfathomable mystery as to why someone has to live or die, but especially at 35 years of age!
None of us was asked to be born with a brain, or to suffer the infinite choices of human life.
Yet we can only lean on each other for support, Neil was a significant person in my life, and surely that of many other people too, he stood out as someone who lived his dreams, seemingly with no regrets and great courage.

In his memory I urge everyone to value the smaller gifts of a life involved with positivity, human courage and daring, as well as a loving regard for all life forms, Neil Morris demonstrated a life lived like that.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve McCormack

Today was extremely moving, Steve your words speak so true.

May Neils spirit always fly with the wind.

XX