AUSTRALIA IMMORTALISED THE late Jim Stynes today as they opened a Melbourne bridge named in his honour.
Officials saluted the inspirational Dubliner, who died in 2012 following a long battle with cancer, as “an outstanding man, footballer and philanthropist.”
“This bridge ensures that Jim’s work is alive in the hearts and minds of all Melburnians,” state planning minister Matthew Guy said.
Stynes left Dublin to head down under in 1984 and made his name as an Aussie Rules legend, becoming the only overseas player to win the sport’s prestigious Brownlow Medal in 1991.
After retirement he continued to devote himself to the game and charity work, and co-founded the Reach Foundation to support and inspire teenagers and young adults.
He was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 and after a long battle, died in March 2012 aged 45.
Stynes’s wife Sam and their children Matisse and Tiernan were among those present at Wednesday’s official unveiling.
The Jim Stynes Bridge — a hovering steel arc bridge — is the first of its kind in Australia and forms part of a $25 million redevelopment in central Melbourne.
It is inscribed with a quote from Stynes: “Life is a challenge, and many people who have accomplished great things in their lives have done so not in spite of serious setbacks, but because of them.”
