Vale Craig Johnstone
I first met Craig at a dance at the Mercy Centre in the late 1980’s. I had a dance with him at a Lifestream Ball. We took a bus trip with Madelyn, we went to the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. I caught up with Craig at a Sassy workshop (now SUFY). Craig was a person who goes to movies, Movie World, Dreamworld, and Sea World just to see other people’s reactions.
He loved to go to Lang Park to see the Broncos, Reds, and the Roar, and the cricket at the Gabba and the Lions. Also, he liked to go to Melbourne every year to see cricket at the MCG and loved to spend time with family. One of his trips he went around Australia. He loved going on Crossroads trips too.
One day we went to a meeting at SUFY, when Mary and Di said that they are going to form a group. So, we met at Upper Edward Street in the City. We started to meet on the last Friday of the month. So, when Mary moved to QDN, Hot Topics went with her, we had speakers from around Brisbane. When we had Meeting on Housing, the meeting was so full people were sitting in the car park at Bowen Hills. Craig would buy the staff chocolate. One day he bought prawns, so a staff member peeled all the prawns, and one year he bought pizza.
He loved the people in his life. He would say that I saw you at the movies. He would see you at the gold class and have lovely time. Craig was at many Christmas parties where we asked for him to be Santa, and he loved it. At the last meeting he was talking about when he was in a sheltered workshop and the way he was treated.
I would ring him often to find out about life. I sat down with a member of staff and talked about him and life in workshop. We love to be around people who understand Craig and love to talk about his nephew, family, support staff, and brother.
If we ask him to come to something he would.
He is in good hands up there with Madelyn, Joan, Wesley, and Denver. He will be missed. He would say that he had photo of the CEO of QDN falling of a chair at workshop. He loved people. We bought him a present to be a founding member of Tasmanian Devils AFL Club.
Craig was loved by his peers. He was such a loveable person. Everyone I’ve spoken to about Craig has told me how much they love him. He was an honest person.
Thank you to Craig’s mother and his support worker Wayne.
He is going to leave a hole in my heart.
Donna Best - Convener
Brisbane Hot Topics Peer Support Group