Fourteen years ago on March 15 we lost a very special young man. He was from Victoria, Australia in Shepperton. He came to Juneau the first time in 1990 and was here for about a year then went home for his only sister's wedding. He was back here a oouple of months later and the Juneau community took up with him again as though he'd never been gone.

He was vibrant, in love with life and it appeared, everything in it. The most remarkable thing about him, probably, was that whoever he was with, that is the person he was with. His energies were not scattered. He loved to dance - in bare feet- he leaped high and energized the dance practically by himself. He loved Australian wine and beer and complained that our bartenders were not aware that they were supposed to pour a full pint when they drew the tap. We loved him.

On March 15 1992, a Sunday, he went hiking up Mount Jumbo alone. He was tired of our long wet winter, and March 15 dawned crisp and cold. He wanted some fresh air. He went over to the house of his most special friend in Juneau and asked if she and her friend wanted to go climbing with him. Both of them had other plans and he left alone. It was already fairly late in a winter day- almost 3:00 - and they didn't set up a buddy system, as is common in these parts. So when he didn't come home that evening, no one knew for several days.

When his housemete returned from Europe on Thursday he could tell that no one had been in the apartment for a number of days. Alarmed, he took a photo of our friend around downtown asking whoever he met whether they'd seen him- that he was missing. At that point most of Tony's friends didn't know his housemate and we didn't know. We didn't know.

That evening I was playing for a dance as we usually did when a friend - a Mudcatter - came in. In a low voice she said in my ear, Tony is missing. He went up the mountain and didn't come back.

I've never forgotten my viseral reaction. I said, No. No. It's not true.

It was a really heavy time for us all.

Tonight we had a "Toiny Dance" with the money remaining from those days. We had raised more than $7,000 in just a very few days to bring his parents and two cousins over from Austraiia and for the cremation of the body.

When he died, he was 29 years old.

Tonight I miss him very much.