- Cherished Dad of Irena and Max.
- Adored son of Eddie (deceased) and Irene.
- Much loved brother of Peter, Julie-Anne and Angela
He will be sadly missed by family and by his many colleagues and friends
From The Australian, 3 January 2011:
MICHAEL Ward, the man who organised the Australian Republican Movement, has died after a long battle with cancer.
Mr Ward, 51, died three hours after watching the New Year's fireworks from St Vincent's Hospice in Darlinghurst, Sydney, on Saturday morning.
From 1992 to 1997, Mr Ward was executive director of the ARM as it lobbied for a referendum to decide whether Australia should remain a monarchy or become a republic.
Before that, Mr Ward was head of the Health Promotions Unit of the NSW Health department where he oversaw the "Me No Fry" campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of skin cancer resulting from exposure to the sun. He later became the public affairs spokesman for OzEmail.
In 2003, Mr Ward was diagnosed with throat cancer.
We do not wish you joy without sorrow
Nor endless day without the healing dark,
Nor brilliant sun without the restful shadow,
Nor tides that never turn against your bark.
We wish you love, and strength, and faith, and wisdom,
Goods, gold enough to help some needy one,
We wish you songs, but also blessed silence,
And God's sweet peace when every day is done.
-- Dorothy Nell McDonald
Michael Francis Ward | ||||||
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Tributes |
There are 2 personal tributes |
| David Freeman January 30th, 2011 at 8:16 pm Michael will always be remembered for a man of change, courage, adventure and lateral thinking. He loved board games, paper-rock-scissors, bets and scuba diving; art, discovery and lots more. His wife, children and family were always foremost in his decsion-making and his mind. He influenced a way of thinking about Health Promotion that was instrumental in moving health towards a proactive model that saved lives, as opposed to reactive health that patched up lives and sent them back for more punishment. He will always come to mind. |
| Jane Salmon January 23rd, 2011 at 5:44 pm What a fighter and what a climate hero. What an enlightened human. Michael's altruism and strength and realism were amazing. As a person with cancer he taught me how to live. The courage and strength of his children and family has been tremendous. Bless Sandra too. |
