It's all been bloody marvellous...

[mike carey]

...is the final twitter comment from Mark Colvin, an Australian journalist and polymath, posted posthumously. Everyone in Australia who knew anything about him knew it was a reflection of a life well led, and a death that was not unexpected.

 

As is so often the case, I hestitated to post such a uniquely Australian story here: we are a small country and what energises us is rarely heard of elsewhere in the world. And this man's death has had a profound effect on the ABC-viewing and -listening bubble, of which I am a part, in this country. This final comment of his has been compared to the 19th century bushranger Ned Kelly's alleged final comment, 'Such is life' before he was hanged.

 

Then, the now BBC correspondent in New York (and formerly in Sydney) wrote this tribute which was posted on the BBC site. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-39892716

 

As Nick says, as @Colvinius Mark had a reasonably sized presence on Twitter. The only time my modest Twitter account melted down (a few hundred likes and retweets) was when he replied to something I had said on there. His was one of those Twitter accounts that you would follow for the eclectic range of things he would post,

[Chuckball]

Thank you for posting the BBC link. When someone like him passes, it touches us all wherever we are from.

I was also saddened to learn of the passage of George James, a retired CBC producer who was responsible for notable pieces on the TV shows "the fifth estate" and "Man Alive". International viewers will recall his shot of the helicopter leaving the American embassy in Iran as the USA evacuated. That footage was broadcast internationally and used in movies since. Like Colvin, James was always a delight to interact with due to his intelligence and often unique perspective.

[+ José Soplanucas]

Thank you for sharing this beautiful story, Mike. Little Man from the Small Country.