An Australian father who died in Ukraine while providing humanitarian aid had a “heart of gold”, according to family members. Michael O’Neill, a Tasmanian man who worked as a truck driver helping injured Ukrainians on the front line, died Wednesday.
His mother, Elizabeth Rickards, said her son was not afraid.
Michael O’Neill’s mother, Elizabeth Rickards, said she had a broken heart. (new)
“Ever since it happened, we knew something bad was going to happen, but it’s gone,” he said.
“He was doing what he could, it’s extraordinary. He ended up going up front and getting people back.”
In a previous post on Facebook, his mother said that he trained to be a soldier and that “he ended up in the war zone when the Ukrainian army fell under a very intense fire.”
He said his son’s “luck” was there.
“As you can imagine, our family is in mourning and has left a big gap in our lives. He left two daughters and a son, so part of him is still with us,” he wrote earlier.
Michael O’Neill, a Tasmanian father who worked as a truck driver helping injured and wounded Ukrainians on the front line, died Wednesday. (Supplied)
During his time there, the commander of the Ukrainian army awarded him a mention for his bravery, he said.
O’Neill leaves behind two daughters and a son, as well as his mother and five brothers and sisters.
“We’re very, very sad, he was the youngest, our baby,” Rickards said.
“We have a little bit of him left with us.”
Massive NATO war games on the Russian border
Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) have confirmed that they are providing consular assistance to O’Neill’s family.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family,” a DFAT spokesman said.
The department’s travel tips for Ukraine remain “not to travel,” amid the Russian invasion, which began in February.