June Holmes, formerly of STW Publicity & Programs solemnly advised that the highly respected and well liked Vick Evans has passed away. June said that Vick was a friendly and jovial work mate who, after working for a number of years at STW-9, became CEO of the Constable Care program for 14 years, and sadly passed away after a battle with motor neurone disease.

Present Nine Perth Traffic Manager Alan Hooper also spoke highly of Vick, who at the time of Alan’s engagement at STW, was the Traffic Manager until about 1983.

WIN’s Jenny Satchell, a former colleague and close friend for 30 years pointed out that Vick’s family was his life. Vick and wife Mary were married for 40 years, with four children, Michael, twins Sarah & Lisa, Daniel and three grandchildren, Savanah, Talyah and Harli. He was also very devoted to his parents, mother Peggy and father Alec, who have survived him.

After leaving STW-9, Vick operated his own businesses, first in food retail and then menswear.

Graeme Plummer reminisced about the formative days of the Golden West Network when Vick was recruited as Public Relations and Promotions Manager. Vick was very much a people person, excelling in this area.

Vick then went on to be the head and heart of the Constable Care program, as the CEO of the program for 14 years. Constable Care is a major crime prevention and early intervention strategy that works with children aged between two and 12.

More than 180,000 school-age children are taught Constable Care ‘respect and responsibility’ messages each year in WA to help shape their attitudes on a range of social issues as they grow into adulthood.

Vick brought the program into the modern age, making it viable by gaining a lot of corporate support and reducing debt.

When the early warning signs of motor neurone disease (MND) appeared in February 2010, Vick noticed weakness in his right thumb and hand. By March, twitching and shaking had set in. Then just three days after their return to Perth in September from a round-the-world holiday to Canada, the US, Turkey, Greece and a 12-day cruise from Spain to Italy, Vick and his wife were told the reason his body was growing weaker. He was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, a terminal condition that affects body movement. Four months later, Mr Evans was confined to a wheelchair. He had lost the use of his arms and legs and had difficulty swallowing and needed 24-hour care.

Mary gave up her job to look after the man she has been married to since she was 18. When interviewed by The Sunday Times in December last year, Mrs Evans said: “For someone who was always a very positive person, full of life, never been sick in his life, never had any illnesses, this has just cut him off at the knees.”

Since his diagnosis the family contacted stem-cell research clinics in the US and Europe. Mr Evans was placed on five waiting lists in the US, but the wait was up to a year and at $30,000 a time, the experimental treatment was unproven.

Mr Evans said that, “We need to raise the awareness, make the Government put their bloody hand in their pocket, more research, more help.”

Mrs Evans added, “The frustrating thing about this illness is that there’s really nothing they can give you to slow it down.

“We know that there’s no cure and the other frustrating thing is that in Australia they’re not doing trials, they’re not really doing anything, so you can’t even be a candidate for research.”

The family has urged the Federal Government to give the green light to further stem-cell research and trials. They say more money and resources need to be directed towards MND.

Vick was buried at Karrakatta on Tuesday 19th April, 2011, and will he sadly missed by all. He was 59 years of age.