Jesse Bird's Battle Ended But Fight For Justice Goes On For His Family

Gold Coast soldier Jesse Bird’s last goodbye after lengthy struggle with post-traumatic stress

Gold Coast Bulletin

Jack Harbour

August 6, 2017

Family and friends say Jesse spent the best part of seven years dealing with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to recognise his post-traumatic stress disorder and to put him on a pension so he could move on with his life and become a teacher after deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 and ’10.

Family and friends at Surfers Paradise beach. Picture: Mike Batterham.

FOR months Karen and John Bird have campaigned for justice for their son, a post-traumatic stress-affected war veteran they say took his own life after being turned down for compensation. 

But yesterday, the two grieving parents took a moment with Jesse Bird’s closest mates to reflect on the good times and properly say goodbye to their son. The TSS graduate and accomplished swimmer and surf life saver’s friends paddled out from Northcliffe Surf Life Saving Club at Surfers Paradise to scatter the 32-year-old’s ashes in the surf.
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