Love you Ben xx
Ben was born in 1983 to his mum Katrina Simpson and dad Tony Kitchener while living in Westerway. When they divorced in around 91/92 Ben and I moved with dad to eaglehawk Neck for a year, then back with mum to New Norfolk. Shortly after, mum met Simon, who became a dedicated and loving father figure to both Ben and I, and still very much is to this day. Mum and Simon gave us 2 more beautiful sisters to love and adore, Alex and Hannah were immediately and permanently added to the list of people Ben would protect with everything he had. Dad also went on to remarry his second love, Rachel and they gave us another gorgeous sister, Lucy. Dad later surprised us by letting us know he had a child years before, between his marriages, and wouldn’t you believe it, she was another beautiful sister! Jayde. Poor Ben was destined to punch on with a boyfriend or 12. Although Ben wasn’t as close to Lucy and Jayde he always asked how they were through me, he still adored them both from afar. Ben was a dedicated son, he loved both mum and dad fiercely, losing them was the beginning of his torment and he never fully recovered, losing his absolute best mate, Brucey, shortly after was nothing short of cruel. When mum was battling her way through cancer, Ben would come and stay every single weekend, telling me to go out and relax for a while, assuring me he had mum and the girls "go on a bender, here's fifty bucks, shots on me bud" We were never typical siblings, we were in it together, from making mud pies on the back of our tonka trucks in westerway, to stealing mums smokes and climbing a tree to try them, to sneaking alcohol together then promptly throwing up together, to moving to several different suburbs together, to being the last 2 standing at the end of most parties. He was a loving uncle to his 2 nieces Rubi and Ariella and his nephew Logan, when he hugged them they didn't rush to let go, they would just stay there soaking up the love they were feeling without a single word spoken. Ariella knew that 'Conkle Ben' was here to visit when she heard the bike on the front lawn, she would be out there before he got his helmet off, I'd reattach the screen door while they hugged. Our Benny was no stranger to mischief, he once decided to use mums maiden name when asked by police for his name. He somehow managed to get away with it, cheat code unlocked he says, his new shiny identity came with a blank canvas in terms of criminal history, which he insisted made him "practically a saint" and he very much took it as a personal challenge to start rectifying that immediately with as many public nuisance charges as he could gather on short notice. Bless his face he was a character and there was never a dull moment. Rest easy brother bear, all us cubs will miss you beyond measure - Davina
