Georgia's Grief - Her Devoted Dad's Secret Struggle

From her father’s darkness she is creating hope

- Julie Jacobson

Come each Boxing Day morning, around sunrise, the Harris family would be packed and ready to hit the road for the start of their much-anticipated annual camping trip.

Sydney Harris was camp father and chief caravan tower, for all intents and purposes a happy and “superactive” Kiwi bloke, much loved by his wife and three kids.

But that was the public facing Syd. Inside, he was struggling with mental health issues and in October last year, the 53-year-old lost an eight-year battle, dying by suicide.

Syd had long-standing mental health issues. He had tried to end his life a number of times, and for almost a decade had been seeing mental health professionals.

His eldest daughter Georgia, a passionate and eloquent 23-year-old, has taken up the mantle for the grieving family in the hope their story will drive or, at the very least, spur change in our mental health system.

She wants to share Syd’s story to show what an “incredible man” her gorgeous dad was: the hard-working man who, over 18 years, created a haven for his family on an idyllic four hectares of land in Oratia, west of Auckland. A dad who laughed and joked, and gave Georgia and her younger siblings, Campbell, 19, and Claudia, 17, the best childhood memories; the man they miss so much, every day.

Georgia remembers him as the “light of our lives”, the dad who, when her little legs got tired on one of their many trips to Lion Rock at Piha, would lift her onto his shoulders and hike to the top. He was also the dad who gave the best advice.

She says her mum Lynda, 50, was her husband’s champion and supporter, ensuring he got help when he was at his lowest, and wrapping her love around him and the kids.