My dad matters too,
THE daughter of a Gold Coast man killed on an Eagle Farm construction site says her father’s death has been overlooked because he wasn’t a union member.
Humberto Leite, 55, was killed alongside a co-worker, Ashley Morris, when a concrete slab fell on them while they were standing in a construction pit at the racecourse on Thursday last week.
His daughter, Nicole Katakos, told the Bulletin she feels her father’s death has been pushed to the side because he wasn’t a member of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.
“I don’t want to knock them (the union), it’s just that in every article I barely saw my dad’s name mentioned,” she said.
“I’m not taking anything away, what happened to Ashley is very sad as well, it’s just that my dad matters too.”
Mrs Katakos said her dad had been in the union for over 25 years, but had discontinued his membership.
“I guess you only matter up until your last bill,” she said.
If you met him, you’d never forget him NICOLE KATAKOS
CFMEU workplace health and safety co-ordinator Andrew Ramsay says he understands the family’s grief, but all construction workers are urged to join the union because of tragic circumstances such as these.
“You’ve got to understand, that’s why you’re in the club, that’s why you’re in the union – to be looked after in times of need, that’s what we do,” he said.
“That’s the idea of being in the union, so we can help with the process.’’
The Gold Coast father leaves two daughters, Taylah and Nicole, and wife Nina.
Friends, family and colleagues farewelled the man they called “Wombat” at a funeral service at Mudgeeraba yesterday.
Mrs Katakos had one way of describing her dad. “If you met him, you’d never forget him,” she said.
“He was just the type of guy that you could have a laugh with, he was very loving and very charismatic.”
Mr Leite was also extremely sociable. “He’s the type of bloke ... he’d always be