This blog post is dedicated to the Irish national Jill Meagher who was abducted, raped and murdered this week in Melbourne. I shot this blog post yesterday and have tossed over what to call it and whether to even post it in light of these devastating events, it just seems so trivial.
Jill was just about my age and was living in an area of Melbourne where I grew up and frequent. I know that many of my girlfriends this week have been absolutely shocked and devastated by this story, and it has naturally called in to question our own personal safety.
I understand that this is a departure from usual blog content, but I wanted to acknowledge this story because its really affected me this week.
Today is a new day, time for Jill’s family and the community as a whole to start to process this and heal.
14 comments
Hi LM,
I have come back to this post, been thinking about it over the weekend.
I’m going to have to disagree with the notion of this post. While I think your tribute and reflection on Jill was touching, and as young Melbourne women, we can all relate, I thought the fashion photography below your words about Jill was in poor taste. It *does* trivialise the situation.
If this was an advertorial that you needed to get done for your clients, maybe it would have been best to hold the photos over for a separate post, the following day. I am sure they would have understood.
In my opinion, you could have included a beautiful photo of a flower or the sky to remember Jill by.
I wanted to mention Jill on my blog, but I didn’t want to include words within a blog post about my week, because I simply couldn’t do it justice. I sent condolences via twitter and chose to quietly reflect.
This hit me hard this week too and I cried when I heard the news. I’m a Melburnian living in the UK and am exactly Jill’s age. The thought of her poor family having to deal with this while literally living on the opposite side of the world breaks my heart.
I think most parents have a hard time when their children decide to become expats (my dad regularly asks “when are you coming home?”) and part of that fear is not being there if something goes wrong for your child.
The fact that their beautiful daughter will never return home to them again is an absolute unthinkable tragedy.
Lovely post. A senseless tragedy.
Horrendous crime that has left me truly saddened, I’ve thought about poor Jill a lot this week. It’s far too close to home and something I would never expect in Melbourne. It could have been any of us – lovely young woman, enjoying after work drinks with co-workers, something I do myself most Friday’s in very similar areas, assuming I’m safe. My thoughts and prayers are with her family. RIP Jill.
it is no doubt a shocking news .deepest condolences to all her family…………..so horrible.
Wow Pheobe. Thank you for having the grace and integrity to dedicate this post to Jill. RIP Jill.
Such a horrible thing to happen, so tragic 🙁
What a tragic end to a beautiful vivacious life. She was loved and adored by family and friends. The lives of all who knew her especially her husband, parents, brother will forever be sadder. The monster who did this should not have been let out of jail given his criminal history, and if people had been less lenient towards criminals, Jill would still be with us. On behalf of victims such as Jill, we should all be demanding harsher penalties for criminals. There would be a little less sadness in the world if evil was dealt with properly. My deepest condolences to the Meagher and McKeon families. May Jill be at peace in God’s care.
Thank you for this, Lady M. What bothers me is how she was abducted when just moments before it happened as per CCTV footage she had been walking on a road with a few people walking past and quite a few cars going past as well on Sydney Rd? If she was abducted from that road then the act would’ve been so shockingly blatant and yet it wasn’t witnessed by anyone. I’m dying to know more details about the crime, only because we women need a heads-up as to how this can happen on a busy road and yet no one heard her scream or saw how she was taken. Seems as if we need to be on our guard at all times, no matter how close to home we may be. But I’m glad that her murderer was found and she was found too. May she rest in peace.
Like so many others, this has been weighing heavily on my mind all week. I shop around there a lot (Savers is nearby) and people are just in shock. It is just so, so sad.
I was deeply upset by the news. Thanks for the post.
It is so confronting and disturbing. How many if us have headed out with friends, walked a busy city street and thought nothing of it? This will make lots of people, ESP women, not only be more aware but more suspicious and cynical. So, so sad. Sending light to her family and all of those victims who have found a similar fate. Thank you for the dedication
Thankyou for this blog post. I think the event has affected us all.
I have tears in my eyes from reading this. I”m sure all mothers will be holding on to there daughters extra tight this morning.