SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Thousands attend rally for Cole

Thousands have attended a public rally in Brisbane for one-punch victim Cole Miller, who died in hospital last week after allegedly being hit from behind.

One-punch victim Cole Miller
Wally Lewis will lead a rally in Brisbane to pay tribute to one-punch victim Cole Miller. (AAP)

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

A large public rally for one-punch victim Cole Miller has remembered a "beautiful, kind" young man and called for an end to senseless acts of violence.

A week after the 18-year-old died in hospital from massive brain trauma, more than 2000 people gathered in Brisbane's King George Square to honour a young man who was "about to shine".

Undeterred by the searing heat, the crowd paid their respects to the promising water polo player and joined in the call to end senseless acts of street violence.

Billy Miller spoke about his "beautiful, kind" brother whose life was tragically taken before he could live out his sporting dreams.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"It was about to be Cole's time to shine," Billy said.

"Cole was about to live out his dreams."

Billy said too many families had lost loved ones in similar circumstances.

"Sadly our family is not alone in losing a loved one in tragic circumstances," he said.

"We should not and never have to worry about a loved one going out and having a good time with friends."

Many dressed in green, the same colour worn by Cole's water polo team the Brisbane Barracudas.

Rugby league legend Wally Lewis led the rally, describing Cole's death as "not fair" and "not right".

"There's certainly no place whatsoever in this city or anywhere else for senseless act(s) of violence in our community," he told the crowd.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said everyone in society was responsible for their actions, adding she could not imagine what the Millers were going though.

After the rally, many hugged the Millers including Lewis who knows the family through his daughter Jamie-Lee - also a water polo player.

Cole's funeral will be held on Wednesday morning at the Cathedral of St Stephen in Brisbane's CBD.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world