Make it mean something was the motto of an Australian surfing icon who died in an alleged one-punch assault. His devastated best friend has said, “It’s our time.”
Chris Davidson, 45, reportedly died in the hospital after being injured in a fight that broke out outside a bar in South West Rocks, New South Wales, on Saturday night.
Shortly after, the 42-year-old Grant Coleman, the brother of Waratahs coach Darren Coleman, was taken into custody at a nearby residence and has since been charged with assault resulting in death. He is still detained.
The loss of Davidson has shocked the surfing community, with Kelly Slater among those paying condolences. At the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach in 1996, Davidson made history by defeating the world champion in two straight heats.
Slater was among the first to offer praise to “Davo,” his former opponent who was previously rated as high as number 14 in the world. One of the most naturally skilled surfers I’ve ever known was lost yesterday, another soldier said.
One of Davidson’s closest friends since he was 12, Nathan Hedge, said on the Today Show that he is devastated to have lost his pal in such “crappy” circumstances.
Nobody triumphs. The worst thing ever, he said.
Not only has Chris been stolen from us, but the other person’s life has also been completely destroyed. This cannot lead to anything good.
The worst thing that could possibly happen. It has to end. It is insufficient. It must come to an end.
The heartbreak of Davidson’s grieving family and friends has left a huge hole in their lives.
“I shall miss seeing him with our girls,” I said. Simply enough, he was robbed too early, Hedge added, fighting back tears.
He still had a lot of life left to share, appreciate, and cherish. I’ll miss hearing him chuckle. His practical humor and pure enthusiasm will be missed, too. I shall miss his embraces since he was always up for anything.
He lived by the adage “Make it mean something. It’s now our turn! He was equally passionate about the water and other aspects of his life.
Davidson is remembered as a charming and distinctive person who was always the light of the party.
Hedge remarked, “He was the most generous, charming, amazing guy, and he’d give you the clothes off his back.”
He was simply such a lovely man. Just carried out every action with complete conviction and emotion.
“You were aware when he was around.” He simply loved life and had such a strong will. He enjoyed relating to them. He cherished nice times.
He was always the life of the celebration. And Chris was always known to be around. He also made sure you knew he was there with you and just wanted to make sure you were enjoying yourself.
Hedge said that the close-knit surfing community had suffered greatly.
We’re trying our best to be as supportive of one another as possible, to let our loved ones know that we’re there for them, and to simply maintain a close-knit community. “We’re trying to do our best to tell the people that we love closest to us that we cherish them and let them know that they’re loved and let them know that they’re loved,” he said.
One of Davidson’s surfing career’s many high points was defeating Slater as a budding star.
At the time, he told The Australian, “Beating him was unbelievable, the nicest thing that could have occurred at the moment.”
He stands to lose anything in such situation. The world champion is competing against a newcomer who is attempting to defeat him in the sport of surfing.
“I’d be concerned too if I was the world champion and some schmuck just defeated me,” the speaker said.
Before turning his life around to play on the Men’s Championship Tour in 2010 and 2011, when he won multiple events, Davidson’s early career was hampered by injuries and personal problems.
The specifics of the alleged incidents before Davidson’s death have not been disclosed by the police.
When Grant Coleman, 42, showed up in court on Sunday, bail was denied.
It’s believed that the Waratahs coach Darren Coleman, his brother, drove up to encourage him.