by Mat Churchill

Six months ago, almost to the day, my four and a half month old son, Xavier Bennett Churchill, died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

We'd sold virtually all of our possessions and packed what was left inside a trailer, and took the nearly 4,000km coast road from Bendigo to finally turn into Port Douglas Road.

I remember pulling up on the side of the road just outside the Habitat and saying to my girlfriend, Joni, that we're here to give things a go and see what happens, but the important thing was to make sure we were happy. Happy in our work, in our home, and as a family. Like many people who make the move to Port, we'd left all of our family and friends in Victoria, apart from Jo's parents (Toni and Bruno) who live here, so it was quite a big decision for us to make.

One week later, five days before Christmas, Xav passed away.

In the days that followed we quickly came to the realisation of what it meant to live in the Port Douglas community. Apart from the flowers, visits, food, cards, and phone calls all offering support, it was Xav's service at St. Mary's Church on Christmas Eve that overwhelmed us both.

Through my bleary eyes I couldn't see a spare seat in the building, packed with dozens of people I'd met only briefly, and with those I'd never even met. When the service had finished those same people lined up to give Jo and I, and the rest of the family a comforting hug, before we headed to the airport, and the plane that would take us back to Victoria for Christmas and another service for Xav with family and friends.

Though a few of the images of that period are somewhat of a blur, one of the clearest memories is realising that we'd moved into a strong and caring community. I can say without hesitation that this is a big part of the reason we are still in Port today, establishing ourselves slowly but surely.

Xav is always at the forefront of our minds. We'll always cherish the short time we had with him, and lament the lost experiences we would have shared.

So to work towards a SIDS free world, and have some fun while doing it, we're holding a fundraiser this Sunday 27 June from 4pm to 8pm, at the Ironbar on Macrossan Street.

The Red Nose Day Toad Races will be great entertainment for you, your family and your friends. $5 will get you entry into the races which will run continuously from 4pm. Thanks to Haba and Hartley's, great prizes will be awarded in every race.  So drop in for a race or two (or ten), and help raise money for the fight against SIDS.

For more information on the fundraiser, feel free to call me on 0400 634 626, or Joni on 0401 343 596.