The Spirit of Australia

Last night I turned on the BBC World News and instead of privileged to witness the funeral service for a young man I'd never heard of. It was cricketer Phillip Hughes, who died last week after being hit in the neck by a pitch by a devastated Sean Abbott. I don't know a thing about cricket and very little about Australia, but after scanning the faces, seeing the Australian PM there, and listening to the eulogy, I realized that Phillip Hughes must have been a very special man indeed. The outpouring of love and support was very moving. Today I wanted to learn more about him. Anne Perkins said what I immediately  thought of last night: Phillip Hughes’s funeral is a Princess Diana moment for Australia; The cricketer’s funeral brought Australians together to mourn a national hero who’s become a symbol of all that’s good about the country."

From the UK Telegraph: "Michael Clarke's touching Phillip Hughes eulogy will take up residence in language of Australian cricket;Captain's oration at the funeral was a lament for a friend, a summoning of the game’s deepest values and a meditation on Australia itself, writes Paul Hayward", who also described what I felt: "This soaring language was received with awe around the world."