SINCE Erskine father Paul Fry fell to his death at Alcoa Wagerup one year ago, his partner Donna Christie has not felt alone – she senses his presence and believes he leaves signs to show he is near.
Ms Christie is convinced mysterious orbs, which sometimes appear in photos of their sons, represent Paul’s spirit. On her bedroom wall an outline of a man appeared – Ms Christie said it resembled Paul.
While Ms Christie is comforted by sensing Paul’s presence, it has been a tough year for her and sons Jackson (17), Taylor (15) and Jethro (8).
When she was first told her partner of 20 years had died in a work incident on September 2, Ms Christie felt destroyed.
“We were very much in love and very happy…we were the fairytale story,” she said.
However, when Ms Christie saw his body, a “huge calm” swept over her, which she still feels.
Despite the calm, Ms Christie admits she was grief stricken.
“The hardest thing I’ve had to deal with as a mother was not being emotionally capable of helping my babies in their pain because mine was so encompassing,” she explained.
It will be a particularly hard month for the family as they remember the anniversary of Paul’s death. It is Father’s Day on Sunday and it would have been Paul’s birthday on September 7.
“Grief just rips you apart – it doesn’t run to time or calendar schedules,” she said.
The family are focused on celebrating Jackson’s 18th birthday on Father’s Day which, Ms Christie admits, will be bittersweet.
“One of the many things Paul wanted as a father was to take the boys to the pub when they were 18 and sit down man to man,” she said.
“He always talked about this day and how he was looking forward to it…they have been robbed of this.”
Before Paul died, he had been working for Mandurah-based Alcoa contractors Transpacific Industries.
Ms Christie is appreciative of Paul’s work mates who have regularly chipped in to provide financial support to the family.
Paul’s co-workers and friends will meet tomorrow to remember their “committed and hardworking” friend.
While two investigations into Paul’s death are ongoing, Ms Christie cannot find closure. She does not expect an outcome from the investigations for years.
In the meantime she has been busy organising a memorial garden for Paul in their front garden.
She also plans to fulfil their dream of opening a family business.
Her shop, White Tiger Feng Shui, will open in Halls Head in two months.