Goodbye Shane.
I guess as one gets older the rate of funeral attendances tends to increase. A sad part of life. But its even sadder when you attend the funeral of someone who left way too soon by taking their own life. I paid my respects to one such individual today. I first met Shane when he was a commissionaire out at the airport. Diligently shuffling people into cabs and ensuring the airport rank ran smoothly, always with his cheeky grin and razor sharp wit. When I was on the main rank and there were no passengers, Shane and I would shoot the breeze. He struck me as being quite an intelligent guy and I couldn't quite understand why he was working as a commissionaire. It wasn't long though before Shane moved on up into a management position with Aerial. Via a radio operator, then radio room supervisor, and then Operations Manager.
The strength of Shanes character was shown while he was working in that highly toxic environment. He somehow managed to juggle the balance between treating drivers and owner operators with dignity and respect while still adhering to the whims and wishes of the Old Boys Club that senior management of Aerial Capital Group is. The internal conflict within Shane must have been huge. He knew what a bunch of prats Aerial management are and he didn't want anything to do with it so tried his level best to to show dignity and respect when none was coming from the Old Boys Club. The Old Boys Club wouldn't know dignity and respect if it jumped up and bit them on the arse.
Some time ago Shane was summarily and unfairly dismissed from Aerial and it rocked Shane to the very core. I could tell from conversations that I had with him after he had left Aerial that he was being smashed by Aerial in every way possible. Not only did they knock him down but they sunk the boot in..multiple times..as well. They offered him peanuts to just go away and forget about them. It was an insult and that just strengthened Shane's resolve even more. Shane fought Aerial as hard as he could but Aerial showing once again that money is no object to them, just fought back with bigger guns. I could tell Shane was tiring of the fight. He was feeling defeated but somehow just kept finding the strength to keep on fighting. His sisters spoke today of Shane's stubborness. I could see that.
It really is a shame that the Old Boys Club couldn't look after Shane the same way they looked after one of their own. Like the person who was convicted in a court of law. This guy was the General Manager. You can bet anyone else convicted of anything at Aerial would be dismissed quick smart, but not if you are a member of the Old Boys Club. They look after their own. You can read about the conviction here http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-08-18/man-wins-reduced-sentence-over-porn-cartoons/949348
Aerial decided that it probably wasn't a good look having a convicted criminal working as a General Manager at Aerial, so they made a new job out of thin air. Rumour has it, it is a Project Manager. Another member of the Old Boys Club moved into the General Manager position.....but you really think he is running the show? Not a chance. This puppet will be the General Manager on paper and in name only. You can bet the old General Manager is still pulling the strings. And they wonder why so many people think management of Aerial is a stinking hot bed of corruption. Shane could see it. Couldn't do much about it, but did his damn best to make sure he wasn't a part of it. That's probably what got Shane offside with the Old Boys Club.
Unfortunately the fight got too much for Shane and he took his own life. Aerial must be so relieved. But Aerial, I know you read my blog so I want you to know one thing...and this picture pretty much sums it up. You wanted him gone...he's gone. I hope you are all very happy with yourselves. May this live on your conscience for the rest of your lives.
Shane, thankyou for having the courage to treat everyone the right way when your management would have preferred you to be pond dwellers like themselves. Thankyou for being open and honest with me when the rest of them lied to my face. Thankyou for acting always with integrity, honesty, and courage. I'm glad we had all those chats after you were bullied out of Aerial. I hope the chats we did have helped you in some small way. I wish I could have been more help to you and for that..I am sorry. The fight is over now my friend, may you rest in peace...always.
Tiny
=======================================
I guess you could say we've been through alot
And we stuck with each other like it or not
But there's nothing like friends to make you feel alive
We didnt win every battle but God knows we tried.
I wanna find what others rarely find
conscience clean and peace of mind
Life like a book, I'm proud to sign
written on hearts I leave behind
I wanna roll on a road of my own design.
You're fear and faith, they're intertwined,
hoing there's a finish line
within the hearts I leave behind.
If God lets me choose where I go when I die,
I'll lay my head down where love resides
and I'll never have to say goodbye.
I'll live in the hearts I'll leave behind.
I wanna leave a mark, a permanent kind
and I was here that don't fade with time.
A sacred place that's only mine
within the hearts I leave behind.
Safe in the hearts I leave behind.
:from Shanes order of funeral service booklet
The strength of Shanes character was shown while he was working in that highly toxic environment. He somehow managed to juggle the balance between treating drivers and owner operators with dignity and respect while still adhering to the whims and wishes of the Old Boys Club that senior management of Aerial Capital Group is. The internal conflict within Shane must have been huge. He knew what a bunch of prats Aerial management are and he didn't want anything to do with it so tried his level best to to show dignity and respect when none was coming from the Old Boys Club. The Old Boys Club wouldn't know dignity and respect if it jumped up and bit them on the arse.
Some time ago Shane was summarily and unfairly dismissed from Aerial and it rocked Shane to the very core. I could tell from conversations that I had with him after he had left Aerial that he was being smashed by Aerial in every way possible. Not only did they knock him down but they sunk the boot in..multiple times..as well. They offered him peanuts to just go away and forget about them. It was an insult and that just strengthened Shane's resolve even more. Shane fought Aerial as hard as he could but Aerial showing once again that money is no object to them, just fought back with bigger guns. I could tell Shane was tiring of the fight. He was feeling defeated but somehow just kept finding the strength to keep on fighting. His sisters spoke today of Shane's stubborness. I could see that.
It really is a shame that the Old Boys Club couldn't look after Shane the same way they looked after one of their own. Like the person who was convicted in a court of law. This guy was the General Manager. You can bet anyone else convicted of anything at Aerial would be dismissed quick smart, but not if you are a member of the Old Boys Club. They look after their own. You can read about the conviction here http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-08-18/man-wins-reduced-sentence-over-porn-cartoons/949348
Aerial decided that it probably wasn't a good look having a convicted criminal working as a General Manager at Aerial, so they made a new job out of thin air. Rumour has it, it is a Project Manager. Another member of the Old Boys Club moved into the General Manager position.....but you really think he is running the show? Not a chance. This puppet will be the General Manager on paper and in name only. You can bet the old General Manager is still pulling the strings. And they wonder why so many people think management of Aerial is a stinking hot bed of corruption. Shane could see it. Couldn't do much about it, but did his damn best to make sure he wasn't a part of it. That's probably what got Shane offside with the Old Boys Club.
Unfortunately the fight got too much for Shane and he took his own life. Aerial must be so relieved. But Aerial, I know you read my blog so I want you to know one thing...and this picture pretty much sums it up. You wanted him gone...he's gone. I hope you are all very happy with yourselves. May this live on your conscience for the rest of your lives.
Shane, thankyou for having the courage to treat everyone the right way when your management would have preferred you to be pond dwellers like themselves. Thankyou for being open and honest with me when the rest of them lied to my face. Thankyou for acting always with integrity, honesty, and courage. I'm glad we had all those chats after you were bullied out of Aerial. I hope the chats we did have helped you in some small way. I wish I could have been more help to you and for that..I am sorry. The fight is over now my friend, may you rest in peace...always.
Tiny
=======================================
I guess you could say we've been through alot
And we stuck with each other like it or not
But there's nothing like friends to make you feel alive
We didnt win every battle but God knows we tried.
I wanna find what others rarely find
conscience clean and peace of mind
Life like a book, I'm proud to sign
written on hearts I leave behind
I wanna roll on a road of my own design.
You're fear and faith, they're intertwined,
hoing there's a finish line
within the hearts I leave behind.
If God lets me choose where I go when I die,
I'll lay my head down where love resides
and I'll never have to say goodbye.
I'll live in the hearts I'll leave behind.
I wanna leave a mark, a permanent kind
and I was here that don't fade with time.
A sacred place that's only mine
within the hearts I leave behind.
Safe in the hearts I leave behind.
:from Shanes order of funeral service booklet