The repetitive beep of vital signs monitor, lines rising and falling in waves, traces the rhythm of life on a screen. A 15-year-old with a bandaged head looks as if he might be sleeping, though he's been lying here in an induced coma for days. Beside him, in the soft blue glow of the Intensive Care ward, his mother whispers the stories of his childhood and hers, of her parents and grandparents, weaving her son's life into a tapestry of family and community, as if to hold him here.
The woman is Mechelle Turvey.
Ten days earlier, her son Cassius, a Noongar/Yamatji teenager, was walking home from his Perth school when he was set upon by strangers, one of them brandishing a metal pole. Friends who witnessed the attack called an ambulance and Cassius was rushed to hospital, his forehead slashed, his brain hemorrhaging in two places.
Cassius went home five days later, but within hours he was felled by a series of seizures. Back in hospital, he underwent brain surgery and doctors learned that he had suffered two strokes. After five more days sitting by his bed in hospital, Mechelle was told she must bid her youngest son goodbye.
In the aftermath of Cassius' death, as people gathered at vigils and rallies around the country, Mechelle called for calm. In the depths of her grief, she united the nation.
"I am angry. Cassius' friends and family are angry," she wrote in a statement that was read to the thousands who gathered around Australia in November 2022.
"But I don't want any form of violence at these rallies in the name of my child. Violence breeds violence. I want calm and peace. I don't want to fuel prejudices, biases. I don't want to fuel the stereotypes of First Nations people... My family and I send our love to each one of you for supporting, for raising voices and for showing so much kindness and respect. I am overwhelmed and eternally grateful."
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
Take me to the river
With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.
The last act
When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.
Growing happiness
Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.
Budget dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
