Tragedy of life gone so soon

THERE will be friends and family grieving this weekend after a young boy died after falling unconscious during a fight in a Cairns park on Thursday evening.

The boy and his friends allegedly got into a fight with another group of children at Shang Park in Mooroobool.

The night ended with one boy dead and police awaiting the results of an autopsy before they decide whether to file charges.

The dead boy was just 12.

Despite the efforts of local football referee George Sailor and medical practitioners to revive the boy, he died in Cairns Hospital.

Police are investigating whether illicit substance abuse played a part in the death, with witnesses believed to have seen a group inhaling intoxicating substances.

This newspaper has reported heavily on chroming in the past 12 months with trends skyrocketing in the past six months.

The problem became so bad among youths that supermarkets removed some brands of deodorant from their shelves.

Whatever the cause of death, it can’t be overstated what a tragedy this is.

Substance abuse or a tragic repercussion of a childhood fight — the result is the same.

We’re talking about a 12-year-old boy, and what’s worse, the fight played out in front of other children, with one at least seven years of age.

For months, our lives have been consumed by a threat we can’t see, and for the foreseeable future, it will be front row centre in our lives.

But an incident like this in which a child’s life has ended reminds you that life is fragile, regardless of viruses. It makes you hold your loved ones a little tighter. Jennifer Spilsbury Editor