March 23 Easter Sunday, 4.30pm

That was the last time I saw Uncle Milton alive. We went to Brisbane for the weekend to see him. He had had some bad news about how his cancer couldn't be treated anymore. I rang him on Wednesday and said we would come for the weekend to see him. When we arrived, Michael said that he was in hospital. By the time we picked up Mum from the airport on Sunday and drove to the Gold Coast, he was no longer coherent. He knew when we arrived. I could see it on his face. He couldn't talk at all.

We were due to fly back to Canberra at 2050 and Michael took us back to his house to get the kids ready for the flight. By the time we got back to the hospital at 7pm he had died. I will feel forever sorry that Michael wasn't there when he died.

Whilst not every meeting with Milton saw us eye to eye on everything, there has been no single greater male role model in my life. In spite of some of his annoying right wing views - which he loved to espouse and argue about for hours with me - Uncle Milton was above all else such a caring and amazing person. My favourite Christmases were spent either at his house in Macksville or at the Gold Coast. He flew to Canberra to help Alex and I build our deck. He loved showing Oskar the fork lifts and giant Caterpillars at the factory.

What really amazes me is that two of my most loved family have died in the last 9 months. That is a huge shock. Also a huge shift in our family dynamics. And leaves Mum the only one of her family alive.

Uncle Milton was 64.