Laura Fregonese effortlessly commanded the attention of every room she entered.
A lover of dance, fashion and the Western Bulldogs, Laura’s infectious energy attracted people.
Laura’s brother Marcus says she was always positive, warm and never short of a smile, which is why it came as a complete shock to everyone when she took her own life in 2009.
“She worked hard, she was studying PR at uni, she was a typical 20-year-old girl just enjoying life and navigating her way through it all.
“But behind the scenes there were some challenges and demons that nobody knew about.
“I suppose it was her nature that she didn’t want to burden anybody with her problems.”
Ten years on Marcus says not a day goes by where he doesn’t think about his little sister.
“I think about the world we live in today, the charities that exist, the social commentary and I think if it had’ve been now, could she have been saved?
“Back then it still wasn’t something that was discussed openly, in some sections it was even looked on as a bit taboo.”
Marcus, director of hockingstuart Sunshine, says Laura spread love everywhere she went and so in that spirit the
Spread the Laura Love Charity Gala was born. “I’ve always wanted to honour Laura’s memory and legacy. We started planning this about four months ago and it gives an opportunity to come together in celebration of her life, and to raise funds for a cause that obviously resonates strongly with us all.
“We’ll be raising funds to help prevent suicide, and promote mental health awareness through R U OK?”
The gala will be held at Peninsula, Docklands on Thursday, September 26 from 7.00pm
For more information and tickets visit: www.spreadthelauralove.com/
