Tribute to Mitch

By Bridget Cook
A TRIBUTE football match will be held next month in honour of a Cranbourne teenager whose life was cut short late last year.
Mitchell Brennan, 18, died when his car hit a tree during torrential rain on The Boulevard in Narre Warren South on 2 December last year. He died in The Alfred hospital on 3 December.
Mitchell’s wish was to become a paramedic.
But when his life was cut short, he lost the opportunity to have his dream job, but he still saved the lives of four people via organ donation.
This year, the family wanted to organise something in memory of their loved one and began discussions with DonateLife, the Keysborough Football Club, which Mitchell was heavily involved in, and Victorian Women’s Football League.
Mitchell was a member of the Keysborough Football Club and played for the Under 18s.
His sister is also a member of the club and plays for the Keysborough women’s team, of which she is team manager this year.
Mitchell’s sister, Melanie Plant said he had a lot to do with the women’s team.
“He was always coming to training, helping in the canteen on game days and socialising with many of the girls outside of match days,” she said.
“As you can imagine the club and teams have been hit hard and we all tried to think of a way to hold something special in memory of Mitch.”
The inaugural DonateLife Shield Match in Memory of Mitchell Brennan has now been organised for Sunday 3 April.
“The event is to raise community awareness about organ donation, as well as a tribute to Mitchell and the ultimate gift he gave,” Ms Plant said.
The game will between Keysborough Women’s Football Team and Gembrook Women’s Football Team.
On the day, members of the DonateLife team will be there to answers questions about organ donation, have forms for people to sign up and give-aways.
The players will be wearing rainbow shoelaces and organ donation T-shirts during the one minute’s silence, which represent zaidee.org.au, an organisation that promote organ awareness in the community.
The club will be holding a sausage sizzle and raffles.
There will be a one-minute silence before the game and then at the end of the match a DonateLife organ donor co-ordinator will present the shield to the winning team.
The match will be held at Rowley Allan Reserve, Corner Cheltenham Road and Stanley Road Keysborough, from 11.30am.