Jun 24, 2008

Australia mourns death of Jane Mcgrath


MELBOURNE: The death of Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath's wife, Jane, is acquiring the proportion of a national tragedy here with country's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd offering his condolences and a public memorial planned at the church where the couple wed.
The 42-year-old Jane passed away after a prolonged battle with breast cancer last morning and the tragedy has not just affected the McGrath family.
The Sydney church, where the couple solemonised their wedding, will organise a public memorial for Jane on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, after McGrath's former teammates paid their homage to Jane, Rudd and Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson also offered tributes for the deceased, describing her as an "inspiration" who we would "like to be".
"It's with great sadness that the nation reflects on the passing of Jane McGrath yesterday," Rudd said in the country's parliament on Monday.
Rudd said Jane would serve as an inspiration for those battling cancer.
"Jane McGrath was, and will remain a source of inspiration and hope to all Australians, in particular to those personally affected by cancer," Rudd was quoted as saying by 'The Daily Telegraph'.
"She will be remembered with great fondness for her work to help women and their families and that work will continue," he added.
Nelson, meanwhile, said Jane' death was a national loss.
"Occasionally this nation loses somebody in whom we see something of the kind of people we would like to be," Nelson told the parliament.
Rudd said the government would continue to support the McGrath Foundation -- co-instituted by Jane and Glenn -- in its endeavour to support breast cancer patients.
Jane was the godmother of Glenn's ex-teammate Matthew Hayden's son and the Australian opener said he and his wife Kelly were "in a world of hurt right now."
"Jane was very special, as is Glenn to the Hayden family. She was godmother to Thomas (the Haydens' son) and special friends to Kell," he said.
Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh also praised Jane's "amazing resilience".
"Glenn's taken her examples about being strong and getting on with life no matter what your situation is and she always told him to get out on the field and play cricket no matter how crook she was," he said.

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