Last night, Brisbane‘s cityscape was lit up in green to honour 18-year-old water polo player Cole Miller, who died in hospital after being coward-punched on a night out in Fortitude Valley just over a week ago.
Dozens of Brisbane landmarks were bathed in green – his favourite colour – and shared in images across social media with the hashtags #colemiller and #onepunchcankill.
Story Bridge:
Treasury Casino:
Victoria Bridge:
Southbank:
Yesterday, thousands gathered at a rally in Brisbane’s CBD to pay tribute to Cole, with Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad and rugby great Wally Lewis amongst those who addressed the crowd.
Wally’s call to end street violence was met with cheers: “It must stop and we demand it does right now. We’ve had enough. It’s not fair. It’s not right. And it’s not going to continue.”
Cole’s brother Billy, who repped Australia at the 2012 London Olympics for water polo, echoed this sentiment.
“Too many people have died in violent street incidents. We should not and never have to worry about a loved one going out and having a good time with friends.”
He paid tribute to his brother in a poignant speech, which you can watch in full here.
Cole Miller’s oldest brother Billy says his life was taken too soon by a senseless act of violence @SkyNewsAust pic.twitter.com/zzdmfYypcg
— Johanna Marie (@JohannaMarie_) January 11, 2016
Lead photo: Sue Whiteman.
