Every death of a loved one is tragic, especially when they lose their lives for no good reason. For the Cronin family, they are faced every day with the senseless death of their beloved 19-year-old son Pat, who died after being punched from behind – an attack dubbed the “coward punch.”
Now, Matt and Robyn Cronin have turned their grief and heartache into a determined mission to end the coward punch once and for all. They established the Pat Cronin Foundation in their son’s honour, paving the way for open and honest conversations, community education and fundraising efforts to prevent this horrible violence from stealing another innocent life.
For Ben Portelli, President of the Newport Baseball Club, this story of unimaginable sorrow over losing a child to such an avoidable cause left its mark, especially because he’s known Matt for nearly 8 years. “To see what he and the Cronin family have gone through in the months and years since this tragedy has struck a real chord with me personally,” Ben said. “I wanted to find a way that I could help the Foundation by spreading the word amongst the baseball community.”
To make a difference, Ben and the rest of the Rams family have partnered with the Pat Cronin Foundation to host an Information Night at the club on Thursday, November 1st at 7 PM. This “Be Wise” education session will welcome Matt and Robyn, who will share their story with club members as well as attendees from the greater baseball community. Not only will they speak about the pain of losing Pat to such a devastating and callous act, but they will also offer guidance as to how everyone can play a part in making sure this tragedy doesn’t happen to anyone else.
This event will bring many players, parents and spectators together in support of a very worthwhile cause. “At Newport we believe that we have a responsibility to all of our members to provide them with access to the best club experience, both on the field and off the field,” Ben added. “We have an obligation to our young players and their families to provide access to education and support in all aspects of life, not just baseball. Local sport is all about mateship and looking out for your mates, and if we can provide experiences to our people to display how important that is then it’s our obligation to do so.”
Ben is hopeful this event will showcase the Foundation’s phenomenal work and make a difference by helping people understand the potential consequences of scuffles and arguments that can turn deadly in an instant, as happened with Pat. In April 2016, he went out to a local bar for a quiet night with some friends when he was fatally punched whilst assisting a mate. Pat was just an innocent bystander doing the right thing, yet his life was cut far too short. “We want our people to know to look out for their mates and help get them out of a situation, either as the aggressor or as the innocent victim.”
Matt and Robyn are looking forward to this opportunity to make more people aware of this growing problem and how such sad violence can be stopped. “The connection with Baseball Victoria community provides another avenue to spread our message about the need to change attitudes towards violence and in particular putting an end to the Coward Punch,” Matt said. “Our Be Wise Awareness session at Newport Baseball Club will give us a new audience to tell our very sad story to about the dangers of a Coward Punch.”
Beyond Newport’s Information Night, the Foundation is gearing up for their annual fundraiser called Walk to the Valley. Set for Sunday, November 18th, this year’s Walk will gather thousands of participants for a lovely 8km stroll from Heidelberg to Lower Plenty along the picturesque Yarra and Plenty River Trails. “This is a great opportunity for the community to come together in a peaceful way and send a message to the wider population that we stand against violence and the Coward Punch,” Matt said. “We have a fundraising goal of $100,000 which will help us to deliver our programs in Education, Awareness and Research.”
The Foundation is confident that raising funds and awareness will make a difference and ultimately save lives. 1,500 people joined the walk last year and Matt says they are hoping to increase that figure to 3,000 this time around. By doubling participation, they can expand their efforts and make a strong and clear statement about ending the coward punch.
Matt and Robyn are encouraging Baseball Victoria members, including other local clubs like Newport, to get involved and do their part to minimise violence and encourage friendship instead. It’s a kid-friendly event, as the Lower Plenty Football Club Oval will be transformed into a family fun zone, complete with a jumping castle and giant slide as well as live music and entertainment from Gary Eastwood and much more.
Please learn more about the Pat Cronin Foundation and these fantastic opportunities to get involved on the official website: https://www.patcroninfoundation.org.au/