In Memoriam - Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Died 17th December 2005

 

 Kung Bennett

Died 13th October 2005

 

 

Some words written by Richard in August 2001:

Folks,

For the benefit of those who were unable to attend the Family Awareness support meeting Friday afternoon with Dr. Lauren Bramley and Dr. Michele Follea, here are some of the points discussed.

You are not alone… We are all together in this and many of us are experiencing similar emotions. Please keep in touch with each other as our strength is in our unity.  We have great support from friends and colleagues who will not let management get away with what they have done to us as professionals, not to mention our personal pride and the hurt to our families. Do not feel shame as we HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG.

Telling our loved ones… One of the points of discussion at the meeting was how do we tell our parents, children and friends?  A couple of people at the meeting have still not told their loved ones. Whether it is due to protecting them, shame, embarrassment, etc. the general advice given is to be sincere, honest and let our loved ones know.  It will be worse if they find out from a third party. This is difficult as I am sure being sacked is a first for all of us.  It seems most of us agreed that it is better to voice our feelings rather than bottle things up, and there is no better persons than those you trust the most and that it seems would be family.

Expressing anger… A lot of us are experiencing anger. Not only at management but also to see letters against us in the press. I personally find it extremely frustrating that I cannot voice my opinion in the press. I want to defend myself and my friends. The suggestion from doctors was to write away your anger in a diary or letter and file them.  Working out your thoughts by writing them down, often helps to release anger.  Remember to follow your committee's guide-lines and not talk to the press.  If you feel you must post an angry letter, then maybe just e-mail it amongst ourselves (the 49ers).

There are worse things in life… Many of us have dealt with life crisis over the past couple of years.  Whether it is illness with ourselves or family members, divorce, uprooting our families, etc. Being sacked is number eight on life’s Stress List.  (I think personally I have hit four out of the top eight in the last few years.)  One of our friends said that what has happened the last two weeks although hard is not the end of the world.  Acknowledge that many people go through similar life experiences, and life does go on. Know that there are many people in more devastating life situations than we are.  Remember our health and our families. 

Stress Management… As pilots we all have CRM experience, but our families and friends may not. A very important aspect of the meeting, was reviewing traditional good advise from doctors on managing our stress as individuals, married or with a partner, and with families.  At times of high stress it is important to remember to take time to exercise (recommendation of one hour per day), diet (remember to eat extra healthy so as to avoid your body getting run down), eliminate caffeine (ok, reduce it), and limit alcohol intake.  For those who may have had problems with alcohol in the past, it should be avoided altogether. 

We found very good value in discussing our problems with the doctors who volunteered their time to sit down with us and discuss the effects of stress and the emotions related with being sacked. 

For those of you who were unable to attend, it is important that we stand together and continue to talk to each other.  For those on basings who would like to come to Hong Kong, there are places to stay and friends to be with.  I personally have plenty of room on my boat to share, should any of you want somewhere to stay.

Keep your Chins Up.

All The Very Best,

Richard Bennett

In Memoriam - Greg England