The immediate grief after a sudden loss is completely overwhelming, often making it impossible to process the present and the future. Our guest this week had the sad reality of experiencing this in March 2000, when hearing about his brothers death after a tragic accident at home. Abie Philbin Bowman’s brother Jonathan was a radio and television presenter, well known for his extraordinary wit, impulsive presenting style and humour, and without question his ability to often wind people up.
Abie speaks to Sasha and Venetia about the difficult and unique scenario of having to grieve publicly, because of his brother’s role in the media.
“It was the first time I had been on the other side of a news story, being in it. And there were just stuff that people got wrong. And they were quite innocent, you know, it was just people who were rushing to get the story or whatever…having to navigate that sort of public side of grief was actually kind of challenging”
During the conversation he also speaks with incredible honestly when discussing the various sides of Jonathan’s character that made him so unique, but also a complex figure in his own right.
“I had this baggage (growing up) with Jonathan, where it wasn’t always so easy being his brother. They would either be really-really fond of him, or really not. And then he died, and there was this outpouring of people being like ‘oh isn’t he great’.”
“He was just fun of really crazy fun ideas, and he was a bit of a force of nature, but he also loved winding people up. At home he would sometimes take a position on something he didn’t even agree with himself, just because he enjoyed arguing so much.”
If you’re looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, share articles, photos, memories and more, join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group. A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving.
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