‘It turned everything upside down’: Family’s mission after son’s death

A Melbourne family has used their son’s tragic death in a car accident to help youngsters struggling with grief. Here’s how.

Lisa Markovic (right) tragically lost her older brother Daniel (left) in a road accident in Melbourne’s CBD in 2004. Picture: supplied

Being a teenager is tough enough without having to deal with the death of a loved one.

For Lisa Markovic, whose older brother Daniel was killed when he was hit by a drunk driver in Melbourne’s CBD in 2004, she said the pain never goes away.

“Unfortunately we lost Daniel instantly. He was just shy of 23rd birthday,” Miss Markovic said.

“We (my parents and I) had a knock on the door first thing in the morning and were told by the police he wasn’t going to be coming home. It really turned everything upside down for all of us.”

Now aged 34, Miss Markovic, of Werribee, said she struggled for a long time to express her grief.

Aged just 18 at the time of Daniel’s death, she said she struggled to connect with counsellors and started binge drinking.

“I definitely went off the rails there,” Miss Markovic said.

“I was behaving in a way that wasn’t normal for me and I think that was because I really didn’t know what else to do. It took a really long time to sort myself out. To be fair I still struggle now. I really don’t want other young adults to go through that and feel lost.”

It’s for that reason Miss Markovic and her mother, Margaret, founded the not-for-profit Road Trauma Families Victoria and launched their annual Raw 2 Roar camp for teens aged 12 to 17.

Young people coping with grief often struggled to open up or relate to conventional counsellors in one-on-one talking sessions, she said.

But their free camp, which will be held in Anglesea over the Labour Day weekend from March 6 to 8, provides young people with a fun escape and an opportunity to bond with peers in similar circumstances.

Lisa Markovic and her mother, Margaret, have used Daniel’s death to start a not-for-profit to help other teens struggling with grief caused by road accidents. Picture: supplied

Professionally trained staff and volunteers act as camp guides, Miss Markovic said, while counsellors, police, paramedics and motivational speakers were also recruited to help host activities and run group talking sessions.

Activities can include canoeing, snorkelling, kayaking, bush walking and team sports as well as meditation sessions and a lantern ceremony or memorial to remember lost loved ones.

The camp is free to attend and funded by the TAC as well as the Markovic family’s own fundraising efforts.

Miss Markovic said their first camp, hosted in 2019, was a huge success and they hoped to run more programs in future with larger groups or additional camps throughout the year.

“(Raw 2 Roar) is symbolic of the fact of we know the kids are going to be raw when they come to us and come to camp … but we want them to come out of there feeling strong and to help them feel like they can go out into the world and take back some of the power to themselves,” Miss Markovic said.

“Who’s to say that traditional kinds of counselling are the most effective method, there’s so many different kinds of ways to help these young people.

“After day one (of the first camp) we just found they opened up so much to us and to each other … it is really hard to know how to deal with your feelings but you have to find a way to feel comfortable to talk to someone you trust.”

The Raw 2 Roar camp is designed for young people who are struggling to cope with being involved in a car accident themselves or who have lost a loved one in a road accident.

Places are limited. For more information email: [e-mail]