Tributes for quake victim
Aussie grandfather lauded by friends
A MELBOURNE grandfather who died in the Turkey-Syria earthquakes that have killed more than 23,000 people has been remembered as an “amazing human being” who loved keeping fit and dancing.
Loved ones of 69-year-old Greenvale man Suat Bayram said they were clinging to hope that their close family friend would be found alive as it emerged that three Australians had been killed.
Nesime Weinman, who lives on the Gold Coast, was a close family friend of Mr Bayram, who had known her parents for more than 45 years after fleeing Cyprus in 1975 with his wife, Sadiye, and arriving in Melbourne.
Ms Weinman said she received news of Mr Bayram’s sudden death about 6am on Saturday, shattering her family’s hopes that he would survive the earthquakes.
“We were clinging onto hope and not even thinking about the thought that he
would have been one of the people that was tragically killed as a result,” she said.
“Then receiving that news so early this morning, it’s still quite surreal. We are trying to come to terms with it. It’s very, very hard.
“It’s really hard to accept the fact that he’s gone, and gone so tragically.”
Ms Weinman said Mr Bayram had always loved keeping active, and continued to run marathons up until his death.
“He loved his running. He used to do marathons all the time. “He loved it. He was always fit.”
The close family friend remembered Mr Bayram as a standout dancer who was an introvert by nature.
“At our wedding, he was the centre of attention. He was an introverted person, but at the same time he loved to showcase things like that. He loved dancing,” she said.
Mr Bayram, who was holidaying in Turkey’s south with his nephew when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on Monday, remained a central figure in Ms Weinman’s life, and those of his grandchildren.
Mr Bayram’s daughters Imren Bayram and Ebru Hudaverdi were using Facebook to try to locate their father up until Saturday morning, when they were notified of his death. An Australian woman was also confirmed on Saturday as a fatality.
Sydney man Can Pahali was confirmed to be the first Australian found dead after the earthquake hit.