RADIO STAR’S PAIN
‘I MISS MY KIDS’
SPIDA Everitt doesn’t hesitate for a second when asked what he would say to those fathers battling the mental demons that come when the children they love are the children they no longer see.
“Talk to someone,” the high-profile radio host and former AFL star says.
“It doesn’t matter who it is. You think you’re the only one not seeing your kids but there are so many people in the same boat and so many stories similar to yours.”
Such as his own, a tale that features four children, three mothers, two ex-wives and a man who yearns for a future where a family get-together includes the entire family.
A renowned larrikin, Everitt has never been shy about bringing up his marital record to score a laugh at a charity lunch or entertain fans of the popular Gold FM breakfast show he co-hosts with Bridget Daly.
In a compelling interview, however, he has recalled the period he didn’t get to see two of his children, spoken of his ongoing estrangement with one teenage daughter and revealed the advice he shares with men in a similar situation.
“I always tell them to just document everything because one day they will knock on your door,” he says.
“I think when every child grows up they want to know who their mum and dad is and if you’ve kept bits and pieces to show you tried, it helps.
“It can’t bring back those years but at least you can show what you tried to do.”
FOOTY DAD
Often lost amid his current roles – radio star, footy commentator, creator and presenter of television caravan show The Great Australian Doorstep – is the fact Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt was some footballer.
Almost 300 AFL matches for St Kilda, Hawthorn and Sydney. Best and Fairest wins at two of those clubs. Threetime All-Australian selection. AFL life membership.
“People probably remember me more for the off-field incidents,” the 43-year-old laughs. “If I wasn’t on the back page of
the paper, I was on the front of it for mucking up.
“But it makes me proud to show my son through the (St Kilda) change rooms or have him see my name up on the wall as a best and fairest medallist or life member.”
Football and family have always been entwined for Everitt.
Even as a teenage rookie, he was already a father and smiles at the memory of tying a helium balloon on little Caitlyn’s wrist so he could spot her in the crowd.
Within a few years, he had divorced, remarried and brought two more daughters into the world. When that marriage also faltered, he gained shared custody and spent many a weekend juggling footy and fatherhood.
His youngest child – 10year-old Boston – is a gift from his union with wife Sheree, the former travel agent who is a driving force in the success of Team Everitt professionally and, more importantly, personally.
“We had times when we didn’t see the girls and that was where Sheree was really good,” Everitt says.
“I really struggled to handle that. I couldn’t understand why I could visit children in hospital and put smiles on sick kids’ faces as a footy player but couldn’t see my own kids.”
DIFFERENT STROKES
Befitting the most modern of modern families, Everitt’s relationships with his ex-wives and daughters are all unique.
He and his first wife are mates and that flows to his bond with his eldest daughter, now 23. He stays with them in Melbourne. They stay with him and Sheree on the Coast. They’ve holidayed together and he’s helping “look after” her sons following the death of her husband a couple of years ago.
Things are “more challenging” with his second wife and while he’s built a connection with one of their teenage daughters, things are strained with the other.
“She hasn’t totally kept the girls away from us … but it would have been nice to have more time with them,” he says.
“It’s frustrating. When you have children, all you want is to give them the best you can and sometimes you’re not portrayed exactly as you are.
“When you have other kids, you also want them to grow up as a mini family. I want Boston to see his sisters … even if it’s just a bit here and there, it’s still family and you want to spend quality time with them all at once.”
As for how he keeps laughing on radio when all may not be well elsewhere?
“I’m not the only divorced dad on the Coast,” he says. “Everyone relates to it and you’ve got to find the fun in life. I suppose that’s where I’m lucky because a lot of people can’t.”