29/07/2026
Today I was sitting at my favourite coffee shop around the corner from home, designing another Indigenous artwork on my iPad, when an old man called out, “Daniel, when am I getting my painting?”
It was Roger, an 80-year-old pilot and captain I’d met more than six months ago.
We sat together and yarned about artwork, life, and the loss of his wife of 60 years to leukaemia.
Every time he spoke about her, a tear rolled down his cheek. It happened over and over throughout our conversation. You could feel how deeply he loved her, and how much of his heart still belonged to her.
Then our conversation shifted.
Roger shared that he had lived with depression for most of his life.
He told me he had everything many people spend their lives chasing—beautiful homes, nice cars, a loving wife, children, an incredible career travelling the world, working in the movie industry, rubbing shoulders with celebrities, owning factories and farms.
Yet one day, while driving through the Scottish countryside, he suddenly broke down in tears.
Nothing had happened.
There was no reason he could explain.
The sadness was simply there.
That story stayed with me. It reminded me that depression doesn’t always make sense, and it doesn’t discriminate. Success, money, achievements or status don’t always silence the pain people carry.
Then Roger shared something that struck me even deeper.
His mother was part of the Stolen Generations.
In that moment, I felt an even greater understanding of the weight he had carried. I know what it means to live with generational trauma. I know that some pain is inherited, passed down through stories, silence and survival.
As Roger wiped away his tears, I realised he needed this yarn.
But what he didn’t know was… so did I.
Roger, thank you for trusting me with your story. It was an honour to witness not just a man, but a brave man—one willing to show vulnerability, emotion and love without shame.
Before we said goodbye, he looked at me and said,
“Daniel, go home and hug your loved ones. Tell them you love them.”
“You never know how long you have in this life.”
