The Cam Van part 2.

When Cam went out on the night of 21st September 2024, I was still working on the van and we said our usual goodbyes to each other.

Cam drove off, heading to his mates so they could all Uber into Burleigh together for a night out. That was the last conversation I had with Cam, and the last thing we did together. Then Sonia and I spent the next 7 days with Cameron who was in an induced coma in the Intensive Care Unit of the Gold Coast University Hospital, as the doctors and nurses did their very best to try and save him. Sadly Cammy succumbed to his injuries and we had to say our final goodbyes and let him go. Then over the next few weeks we had other things to deal with. A candlelight vigil for Cam. His funeral and memorial service. His wake. Grieving. The van sat there for a few weeks. All our previous plans were forgotten about. We cancelled our leave and we shelved those plans. Nothing else mattered right now.

And as I sat at home wondering what to do next, lost in the whirlwind of emotions and not having any clear direction during this grieving stage, I decided that I might as well get back to work on the van. Since that was what we were planning on doing anyway it made sense to keep working on it regardless of whether we went away in it or not. So I went back to the van and got started again, and it helped give me something positive to do while still thinking about Cam.

So, the project continued. I started doing some more work on the van, and it gave me some purpose. Slow but steady progress, moving forward with something positive. I made some Facebook posts about the progress and I started to get some support from friends about how it was all coming along. The next thing we knew we were having a poll on what to name the van, and it was decided by the majority that the "Cam Van" would be the van's new name. The Cam Van. It gained some momentum. Cameron's Uncle and Aunty, Scott and Martine and their family were kind and generous enough to purchase personalised plates for the Cam Van, and from here there was no turning back. The humble little beat-up tradie van that we had planned on using for a 3 week jaunt down to Victoria was now elevated to a level of sentimentality and relevance that had never been envisioned or intended. The Cam Van was dutifully christened, the plates were fitted and Channel 9 Gold Coast News covered the event. It was now official. The Cam Van was registered and the project continued.