I only heard today the tragic news about Whip Up's Kathreen who sadly lost her life while swimming with her partner Rob Shugg who is still missing at Coral Bay, Western Australia. Kathreen and Rob were swimming, while their children were visiting friends on the beach when somehow something went terribly wrong. And now their two beautiful children, Otilija and Orlando are without their parents. I can't imagine what their family is going through.
Kathreen was one of my first blog acquaintances back when I started Poppytalk in 2005 and we collaborated at times, guest blogged for one another and supported each other's blogs up until this terrible news. I had just emailed her asking if I could interview her about their family adventure, which if you were following like me on her instagram, was an amazing one with her husband and two children. She emailed back, "would love to"! And I was just starting to think up questions to send her way. So of course when I heard this terrible news, I was quite simply devastated and cannot stop thinking about it.
As a parent, I feel quite compelled to help her children. And the global community has already risen to the ocassion.
I take these words from Pip Lincolne's blog post about this:
"If you'd like to do something to help, please head here. The family has consented to a trust being set up for Otilija and Orlando, Kathreen and Rob's much travelled, awesome kids. It's something we can all contribute in a small (or large) way at a time when many of us are feeling a bit powerless.
Kathreen was a blogging pioneer in Australia. A champion of handmade and a founding pillar of the craft movement here in Australia (with a reach that was undeniably global.) She profiled countless crafters and artists through her amazing blog Whipup and the books she wrote. Her voice will be sadly missed, but not forgotten."
Our hearts go out to their family. So unfair. So so tragic.
UPDATE: You can now contribute via PayPal. The email address is otilijaandorlando@gmail.com. Hopefully this will remove some of the international barriers that have been encountered.
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