Hundreds farewell Harley Balic, a young man with a ‘magnetic, infectious personality’

As he was farewelled at a packed funeral service on Saturday, Harley Balic was described as a charismatic, humble and respectful young man.

Harlic Balic on the training track with Melbourne.

Tears would not be out of place, celebrant Phill Brake said.

He said it was surreal to be farewelling a “remarkable young man’’ in Harley Balic.

“There are emotions that come with having to say goodbye … that heaviness of heart, that sadness that is there, it might see something and take you back to a moment you had with Harley, and the lump may form in the throat and tears may well up in the eyes,’’ Brake said.

There were tears for Harley.

From his family.

From his teammates from the football and basketball teams for whom he played so brilliantly.

From the many friends who packed a large chapel at his funeral service at Bunerong Memorial Park in Dandenong South on Saturday.

Harley Balic died on Sunday, January 9, at a hotel in Highett, just a few days after turning 25.

In 2020 the former AFL player had spoken of his struggles with mental health. Police will prepare a report for the Victorian coroner.

He was described at the service as a “magnetic’’ young man, handsome, charming, cheeky, charismatic but humble, respectful and thoughtful.

Friends said he could talk his way into – and out of – everything, reflecting the fact that he left a warm impression on everyone he came across.

It was always his way.

“Harley’s natural ability to connect with people became apparent from the minute he could speak,’’ Brake said.

Images of Harley Balic from the funeral booklet.

There were a few laughs too.

His father, Eddie, recalled the blow-up after Balic was drafted to the Fremantle Dockers in 2015.

Eddie Balic didn’t want his son to go interstate and on draft night jokingly said he would pay him $70,000 to stay in Victoria.

Some journalists beat the story up badly. Eddie was bagged on social media over it. But at a press conference after he moved to the west, Harley sucked the hot air out of the situation by declaring his old man never had seventy grand anyway!

And there were chuckles too as Eddie recalled arguing with his son at Christmas, mainly over him being messy and untidy. It ended with Harley asking his father if a receding hairline was making him angry.

When father and son decided to go to regional Victoria during a “ring-of-steel’’ lockdown, they were stopped by police and asked what they were doing.

“Me and dad are gonna chill,’’ Harley replied. They were waved through.

Eddie Balic had started his tribute with the words: “I shouldn’t be up here talking about my son Harley. It should be Harley up here talking about me. And if he was he’d be up here making you all laugh, giving me an absolute roasting.’’

Nancy Balic said her son was blessed with a “magnetic, infectious personality’’.

“Harley was a natural charmer. His charisma got him everywhere in this world,’’ she said.

“He schmoozed all his friends’ mums, and even their dads. He made everyone felt heard and loved and it came instinctively from his heart.’’

There were tributes from his brothers Jesse and Cooper, long-time partner Ebony Dunkley, and friends Emily Small, Ella Barry, Darcy Ballard, Jack Vorbach, Jackson Boland, Kurt Lopo, Dhanesh Jayaselan and Chris Smith.

Harley Balic was an All-Australian Under 18 player.

Harley Balic was born on January 5, 1997 at Sandringham Hospital and weighed in at seven pounds, seven ounces.

Those numbers followed him: seven was his favourite number and he wore the No 7 in most of the sports he played.

He attended Parkdale Primary School and Parkdale Secondary College, but his parents said his schooling got in the way of his social life.

Sport came to him naturally. He could catch a ball from the age of one and, without any training, he once broke a school record for the high jump, going on to state level.

“He was naturally gifted at almost any sport,’’ Brake said.

But he pursued basketball, with Parkdale Pacers and then Sandringham Sabres, and football, with Mordialloc-Braeside and then Sandringham Dragons.

He was an All-Australian Under 18 footballer, and it was a “huge event’’ for the Balic family when he was drafted.

His two years with the Dockers brought four senior games in 2017 and he returned to Melbourne to play with the Demons in 2018, retiring midway through the season.

He started a plumbing apprenticeship and tried his hand in real estate. His last job was as a mental health supporter worker at Monash Health.

“He really found a passion for helping others in a desperate times of need,’’ Brake said.

“Harley even devoted his personal life to raising awareness for mental health and during the cold months of winter he would record himself taking a dip every day in the bay, for 50 days in a row.’’

Creative writing was another passion.

“Harley lived a fulfilled, exciting, jam-packed life and he crammed more into his 25 years than most would in 80 years,’’ Brake said.

A wake at Parkdale Vultures Football Club – where Harley won the 2019 senior best and fairest – followed the funeral service.