The family of late Australian Test cricketer Phillip Hughes has released a heartfelt statement on the 10th anniversary of their son and brother’s death.
Hughes was batting for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield competition in November 2014 when he was struck on the neck and taken to hospital, where he died two days later.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Players and officials pay tribute to Phillip Hughes.
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In a lengthy message issued by Cricket Australia on Wednesday, Hughes’s parents Greg and Virginia, siblings Jason and Megan and their respective families, said they hope his memory can continue to inspire young cricketers.
“Phillip was a loving, humorous and an infectious person to be around,” the family said.
“He always aimed to make those around him smile and enjoy the little things in life, where his beautiful smile would come to life.
Scroll down to read the statement in full
“He shined bright even in the tough times, which is a testament to who he was as a person, and we loved everything about him.
“He was the light of our lives. Phillip had a profound love for his family and lived his life with respect to everyone around him.”
The family hoped the story of Hughes’s journey in a documentary, The Boy From Macksville — premiering on Channel 7 and 7plus immediately after Day 1 of the Adelaide Test on December — would further honour his life.
“We’d like to thank (everyone) for supporting this endeavour and each person who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for creating a celebration of Phillip’s life,” they added.
“We hope we have been able to showcase that dreams really do come true and you will enjoy seeing his family, friends and teammates give more of an insight into his career from his baggy blue, baggy red, baggy green and many more moments in between, including unseen footage that can be watched for generations to come.”
The documentary follows an official biography released in November 2015.
“We hope between the biography and documentary, young cricketers around the world and everyone that was with Phillip along the way will see the hard working, dedicated, devoted and rare cricketer he was,” the family said.
“His extraordinary talent is known by many, but his lasting impression of who he was as a person will always be remembered, which makes us extremely proud of him.
“Phillip was always proud of the younger cricketing generation he met along the way and was always hoping he could be an inspiration, no matter where you were from, and that is also our hope.”
They concluded by expressing the hole that still remains in their hearts.
“It is essential for us to express our heartfelt thanks, sincere gratitude and appreciation to our extended family and friends, our hometown of Macksville and surrounding towns, to the wider cricketing community in Australia and overseas and the farming community,” the family said.
“Phillip, we love you, we miss you and we are forever proud of you. We think about you every day and we are so thankful you were ours. Thank you for being the most extraordinary son and loving brother.”
Hughes family statement in full
Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the passing of our treasured son and brother, Phillip Joel Hughes.
Phillip was a loving, humorous and an infectious person to be around. He always aimed to make those around him smile and enjoy the little things in life, where his beautiful smile would come to life. He shined bright even in the tough times, which is a testament to who he was as a person, and we loved everything about him. He was the light of our lives. Phillip had a profound love for his family and lived his life with respect to everyone around him.
Phillip, the small-town country boy, became an Australian Test, ODI and T20 cricketer, where he played on the toughest pitches around the globe, alongside the toughest of cricketers on the world stage, but never forgot where he came from and who helped along the way.
He was a unique individual that took risky and adventurous strides to conquer the dreams he set for himself to become Test baggy green number 408. He played cricket for all the right reasons and had the ability to take it all in his stride. He loved being a part of a team and representing Australia for the game he loved so deeply.
The number of stories, laughs shared, phone calls and conversations wouldn’t be able to be told over a quick drink at the local pub, which leads us to having the opportunity nine years ago to create the official biography of Phillip — ‘Phillip Hughes The Official Biography’ — that gave us the pleasure of sharing more about who Phillip was. Those pages consisted of his journey from his childhood to his final legacy of 63 NOT OUT*.
Ten years on, a documentary, ‘The Boy from Macksville’, will be shared alongside Cricket Australia, who we’d like to thank for supporting this endeavour and each person who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for creating a celebration of Phillip’s life. We hope we have been able to showcase that dreams really do come true and you will enjoy seeing his family, friends and teammates give more of an insight into his career from his baggy blue, baggy red, baggy green and many more moments in between, including unseen footage that can be watched for generations to come.
We hope between the biography and documentary, young cricketers around the world and everyone that was with Phillip along the way will see the hard-working, dedicated, devoted and rare cricketer he was. His extraordinary talent is known by many but his lasting impression of who he was as a person will always be remembered, which makes us extremely proud of him. Phillip was always proud of the younger cricketing generation he met along the way and was always hoping he could be an inspiration, no matter where you were from, and that is also our hope.
Cricket gave Phillip the stepping stone to start a new adventure of Four O Eight Angus, named after his proud baggy green Test cap number. Black Stud Angus Cattle farming back in our hometown of Macksville, where he loved the land and his animals and would tell anyone who would listen. The business was built on dedication and it’s a testimony to how high he climbed. He loved to symbolise his cricketing journey in his farming career as a tribute, which still stands proud today. Phillip loved Macksville and the local surrounding towns, where he was able to come back throughout his cricketing years and felt right back at home.
We want to share our appreciation to everyone who has respected our privacy and wishes throughout the last decade and continuing to do so at this time. Thank you for being on this journey with Phillip, he loved taking everyone along with him on this ride, living out his childhood dreams.
It is essential for us to express our heartfelt thanks, sincere gratitude and appreciation to our extended family and friends, our hometown of Macksville and surrounding towns, to the wider cricketing community in Australia and overseas and the farming community.
Phillip, we love you, we miss you and we are forever proud of you. We think about you every day and we are so thankful you were ours. Thank you for being the most extraordinary son and loving brother.