Wayne was brought up in Richmond in the 50’s had a rocky start to life. He moved around a lot, first between different boys’ homes, then later in and out of the penal system.
This cycle led to Wayne becoming homeless on the streets of Melbourne: living in parks, laneways and anywhere with a little bit of shelter. When he was 35, he found himself knocking on death’s door, and chose to turn his life around. When he was ready, he found Wintringham, where he stayed for 25 years; first at Ebsworth House and later at Delahey.
Wayne referred to Wintringham as his family that ‘saved him’ from his past and was forever grateful to all staff.
Wayne was an incredible communicator and letters were written to staff in abundance. He had a great deal of wisdom and knowledge from his experience living on the streets, doing whatever he could to survive. This motivated him to genuinely want to help others going down the same path.
Wayne embodied Wintringham in many ways. He had many amazing stories to tell, all of which would captivate the person he was telling. Of course one of the other most important things in Wayne’s life was the Richmond Football club and there never was a conversation that did not involve mention of his beloved tigers.
Wayne touched many hearts on many different levels. He passed away on the 1st of June, 2020.
Goodbye dear Wayne, our friend. We will miss you a lot.