TODAY marks what would have been Hugo Cunningham’s 21st birthday.
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His family will celebrate by watching the stars, one of which has been registered and named in his memory. It’s a fitting tribute to the young man who brought light and love to those who surrounded him.
“I took the next couple of days off work because this Friday is Hugo’s 21st birthday, and I was very emotional about it… but I got a phone call this morning that really lifted my spirits and that is that we are going to get a Headspace,” Jo Cunningham, Hugo’s mum, said on Wednesday.
“I’m elated. I know that the work is only just beginning but at least we have the green light. We know where we are headed and we know that the Government has been listening to us.
“It mightn’t help my boy but it will help other people’s children. That’s what matters and that’s what I’ve been working towards, making sure the message gets out there about just having a conversation and also just about the face that people power is the only way things will change.”
“It’s given me the strength to carry on. You always have to be optimistic and find something positive out of something really negative and tragic, and that’s what I want to do and what the community have done for me.”
• Hugo’s star has been chosen from the Toucan constellation, which around this time of the year sits high in the southern sky.