Luke Francis

My name is Brooke, and I recently lost one of my best mates to a violent incident in March. We began the day at a day festival along the Yarra with 9 of our closest friends. We sang and danced until 11 pm when we all went our separate ways. The following day we all woke to the devastating news that Luke would be our newest angel. This news shocked us, not even 24 hours ago; we were all together, enjoying each other's company, laughing and joking about silly things. Luke was always meeting new people, I remember walking to the toilet and seeing Luke with two other boys wearing the same shirt; he couldn't help but approach them for a chat .

Luke died from a selfless act of violence which we all know to be; the coward punch. That night brings so much devastation and heartache to many people I know and love. A best friend; his girlfriend, witnessed the whole event and lives every day without the love of her life. His family; from far and wide they travelled to be together and support each other during this challenging and impossible time. His friends and work colleagues cry yet act brave for the man that would always make them laugh. And to the outer community, Lukes's death has brought sadness amongst us all, realising unfortunate events like this do happen in real life, and young lives are lost so quickly from incomprehensible events.

Luke is a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a friend, a boyfriend, a colleague and most importantly, a good person. He was a strong, tough-looking man, but everyone that knew him knew he was a little teddy bear. Luke made his family and friends laugh until they cried with his witty humour and one-liners. Luke was always the first one to the party and the last one to leave; we loved his spirit, attitude towards life and motivation towards everyone. Everyone knew when Luke entered the room; his presence was renowned.

By setting up this page, I hope to raise awareness of the seriousness and the impact of one-punch assaults. Taking someone's life from a single hit is still unfathomable to me. Facetiming Luke and his girlfriend while stuck outside the hospital in the cold is something I will never forget. I hope that by setting up this page and raising awareness, we prevent other families and friends from going through the same thing. Luke is a special, special boy who will never be forgotten.

In memory of Luke, we are raising money for a memorial bench seat to be placed on the beach in Mordialloc. This seat is for all Luke's family, friends, members of the community and anyone who would like to come to talk to a loved one in a safe and supportive space. The place is of special meaning to us as we've had many celebrations there with Luke, and he loved the water. I believe this is needed for the grieving and entire process for Luke's family and friends to help them to feel close to him and know he is still listening.

Luke was taken far too soon; please help us by donating towards this memorial and raising awareness for one-punch victims.