There will never, ever be another 'Heath'.

Three days on, the pain is still acute, the sorrow an ever-present ache. I've run out of words, but Heath's family and friends paid tribute to him in today's newspapers in Western Australia so I'd like to post their words here.

How Do We Begin To Describe The Sudden, Tragic Loss?

By Lisa Pendrill

HEATH Ledger's heartbroken family has tried to describe in words the devastating loss of their beloved son, brother and uncle.

Two columns of death notices in today's West Australian newspaper begin with "How do we describe our sudden and tragic loss? ... ''

The family paid tribute to "Heatho'', "Beef'' and "Roast'' - pet names for the actor who died suddenly in New York on Wednesday - saying "there will never, ever be another Heath''.

Elder sister Kate wrote: "I can hardly breathe when I try to write this . . . we were the ultimate in soul mates. I feel both my heart and life have been torn apart. I loved our special talks, our daily chats from where ever you were in the world.

"I especially loved all the precious time we spent together. We were so fortunate to have you as long as we did. You were so many things to so many people, but to me you were just my little brother.

"There will never, ever be another "Heath'' and I think that in itself is the greatest tragedy.

"I will continue to talk with you everyday and love you just as if you were here. You will never leave my thoughts "Roast'', ever.''

A tribute from all members of Heath's immediate family said: "How do we describe our sudden and tragic loss? ... You were the most amazing individual "old soul" in a young man's body.

"You so loved us, as we dearly loved you. As a close knit and very private family unit we have observed you so determined yet quietly travelling in your self-styled path in life, nothing would get in your way ... no mountain too tall, no river too wide.

"You dreamed your dreams and lived them with passion and intelligent commitment. We have been priviledged to accompany you on a ride through life that has simply been amazing and through it all, we have loved each other beyond imagination.

"Your true legacy lives on in beautiful little Matilda, who will always remain in the greatest of care. Our hearts are broken . . . Dad and Ines, Mum and Roger, Kate and Nathan, Rori and Scarlett, Ashleigh, Olivia, Elana and Nadia.




Ledger's father Kim added: "Heatho'', "Beef'', . . . my beautiful boy, so loving, so talented, so independent, so caring, so young . . . no more chess games mate . . . this is it, couldn't beat you anyway!

"My body aches for the sound of your voice, our chats, our laughs and our life and times together.

"Your truly varied artistic skills, insatiable desire to improve and eclectic abilities set you apart from any other person on the planet . . . it had only just started for you ... and for us to further enjoy. We were one, in soul and commitment. Just . . . Father and Son. I will love you forever, Dad.''

Heath's mother, Sally, wrote: "Our darling boy, special in so many ways to all of us. You knew you were so loved. You lived life with courage and daring and we are so grateful for the wonderful times we shared. We will be there for Matilda. Your loving Mamma, Rog and Ash."

Heath's brother-in-law Nathan said Heath dared to live his dreams. "My dearest brother-in-law, my loss, my life will never be the same. Your kind nature and generosity will be something I will never forget. You will live on in my memory forever. You achieved so much in such a short time. You dared to live your dreams and accomplish so much, mate. Your sister Kate and your nieces Rori and Scarlett will be in good hands. Goodbye my friend.''

Younger sister Olivia wrote: "Heath inspired so many young actors around the world to pursue their dreams. You're my idol, my hero, but most impoartantly, my loving big brother. I'll treasure every moment we spent together. I love you Heath, I miss you and pray every night you're safe.''

Stepmother Ines asked "How do we ever recover from such a tragic loss? You have left us all broken-hearted yet filled with such wonderful memories.

"Your generosity, love and kindess you showed to me, Elana and Nadia was beyond comprehension. You are the beautiful stepson I grew to love and respect and it was a privilege to have known you during the last seven years.

"You charismatic persona will be truly missed.''

Stepsisters Elana and Nadia added: "Heath, you were the older brother we always wanted. Such an amazing person who entered our lives, someone we looked up to and admired. We loved having you around and being a part of such a beautiful family. You will never be forgotten. We promise to look out for the ones you so loved. Our hearts go out to Matilda. We love you.''

Notices were also posted by grandparents Jackie and John, aunty, uncles and cousins Sue, Lester, Jarrad, Simon and Sascha, Mike, Di, Adam, Verity, Tim, Thea, Llew, Jess and James.

Other tributes were published on behalf of Heath's school, Guildford Grammar, the Perth Training Centre, The Cobra Club of WA, Actors Equity of WA, Arts Minister Sheila McHale, Sony Pictures, John Hughes and family and friends throughout Western Australia.

At last '08

I haven't posted for the longest time. Since just before I finished (and won) NaNoWriMo, life had been fraught with one difficulty after another and I have been kinda reeling under the onslaught.

1. My Green Card application was denied as the proposed employer was deemed by the INS to be unable to support salary payments. What a nightmare the next three weeks were as I tried to save the situation. I was told it was possible to appeal and that if I had an approved employer, things might be saved - this turned out to be not true - the appeal could only be on the same basis as the initial application.

2. As the denial had nothing to do with me, a second application stood as good a chance of succeeding. So I ditched the old agent, found a new one after hours of internet research, lorryloads of emails and several crackly transatlantic phone calls, and received a viable new job offer just before Christmas - its' with a LTC facility in Greenwich, Connecticut. The offer is good, the company solid, the benefits and starting salary excellent. So now we start the I-140 application process all over again.....

3. Complicating things is a little thing called retrogression which basically means No Green Cards for anyone at all until the INS has cleared its backlog of cases. :(( Lobbyists are working to improve things and get much needed health care professionals back on the green card track but the chances are that nothing will change until after the US presidential elections in Nov '08.

4. The sale of my house collapsed just before Christmas. :(( Which means a complete rethink of all my plans for '08, most of which hinged on having a substantial amount of money in the bank generating interest with which to supplement our monthly income.

5. On the plus side: My darling son surpassed all expectations when he passed his school-leaving exams with a B aggregate and university exemption. I am so proud of him!!

6. Also on the plus side, I've started a new blog project for '08 - the aim is to post a picture a day every single day for a year, capturing small slices of everyday life for posterity. You can see it HERE.

And that's about it for now. No writing has been done since the end of NaNo .... but lots and lots of reading and DVD viewing to offset the stresses of life. So my creative well is slowly being refilled and that has to be a good thing!