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17 Sep, 2015

Bereaved brother’s appeal to leaders: “Australia is an alcoholic, needs to rethink the way it drinks”

It was the speech that moved a room of Sydney’s most powerful people to tears.

Stuart Kelly, the brother of 18-year-old “one punch” victim Thomas Kelly, has revealed the moment he and his family learned their beloved Tom was on life support at St Vincent’s Hospital following an attack by an intoxicated stranger in Kings Cross on July 7, 2012.

Speaking at the Take Kare gala dinner to raise money for the Thomas Kelly foundation, Stuart addressed an audience of more than 700 people, including Premier Mike Baird, Lord Mayor Clover Moore, the Prime Minister’s wife, Lucy Turnbull, and NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione.

Stuart maintained his composure, unlike most of the audience, as he called on Mr Baird to maintain the state government’s hardline lockout laws to prevent any more senseless violence affecting families like his own.

Read the rest:  Thomas Kelly’s brother Stuart calls on Premier to hold the line on lockout laws in emotional speech