Kevin Piercy has left a strong community legacy.By Kath Gannaway
THREE weeks after the death of their son in a car crash, a Launching Place family has spoken of their loss and of the support they have found as part of a close-knit rural community.
Twenty-year-old Kevin Piercy was on his way to a friend’s 21st birthday party on Saturday 3 May when he crashed into a tree on the Gembrook-Launching Place Road.
He was just five kilometres from home.
Stephen and Robyn Piercy have lived in Launching Place for 28 years and raised their three children, Jessica, Kevin and David, in the Upper Yarra Valley.
In the community where Kevin had gone to school, played football, cricket and basketball and shared his passion for motocross riding with a close network of mates, it was almost inevitable that the task of delivering the nightmare phone call to the Piercys fell to one of those friends.
As the family struggled to come to terms with their loss last week, Mr Piercy told the Mail they had been overwhelmed by both the compassion and the practical help given by so many individuals and groups.
“It is this love and support which has held us all up and continues to comfort us,” Mrs Piercy said.
Mr Piercy said his son’s mates had rallied together for them, many of them sitting with the family at the hospital throughout the night.
“These young people were and have continued to be amazing,” he said.
“There were more than 700 people at the funeral – that in itself was humbling,” he added.
Mr Piercy said nothing prepares a family for what they are going through.
He said to have so many people just step in and help when tragedy strikes is a heartwarming experience.
“Even last night a friend, Rhonda Jones, came with more plates of food. When it happened the Hoddles Creek community just turned up with baskets of food.”
Mr Piercy said their family wanted to thank Annette Bird, Sharon Burke and Ms Jones, as well as Kevin’s mates, Careforce and River Valley churches, the people at William Matthews Funerals, Yarra Junction Bowls Club, the Hoddles Creek community and local fire brigade and the Upper Yarra community as a whole.
He said his son was a popular boy who was loving life, being in love with his girlfriend, Shae, and his work as an apprentice welder for an automotive firm in Bayswater.
Kevin’s passion for motorbikes and his ability to be happy and make others happy were central themes of the tributes given at his funeral service.
His daredevil rides down the steep driveway of the family home when he was just two years old led to racing around the home track with friends and competition racing at 16.
In his first year of racing, Kevin came ninth in Victoria in C Grade, winning many races to progress to B Grade.
“You made everyone around you laugh and smile,” one of his friends said recalling the good times they’d had riding since “we were young fellas”.
Recalling their favourite bikes, the stacks, the puddles and some narrow escapes he said they would roll around the ground in tears of laughter.
David’s memories were of being taught to fight and wanting to be just like his big brother… “because he was a cool kid”.
He said Kevin was practically part of the bike when he was riding it. “He just seemed to forget all his worries and just do what came naturally to him and that was ride really, really good,” he said.
His sister Jessica said her brother “epitomised the motocross image”.
Recalling his early love affair with bikes – including the made-up motorbike noises and imaginary bikes, she said: “Born to ride sums you up.”
His uncle Colin Webb spoke of his love for his family, friends, bikes and music and a smile that “would light up the room”.
Kevin died at The Alfred hospital on 5 May and was buried at the Upper Yarra Cemetery in Wesburn.
