Chris Milne: Tributes for Launceston homeless man dead at 50

A Tasmanian city is mourning “everyone’s favourite homeless man” after he tragically died age 50, just months after conquering his alcoholism.

A Tasmanian city is mourning “everyone’s favourite homeless man” after he died on Monday, just months after conquering his alcoholism, aged 50.

Launceston homeless support organisation Shekinah House president Louise Cowan told the Mercury Chris Milne’s life showed that “homelessness can happen to anyone”.

“If he could’ve had accommodation he would have had it,” she said.

“People are waiting three or four years to get housed.

She said if Shekinah House had access to housing, Mr Milne “would have been first on our list”.

“If his loss is something of a catalyst to bring about change and do something, then it wouldn’t have been a life lost for nothing,” she said.

Ms Cowan said Mr Milne was a “gentle, kind soul... well-read, he spoke well, he understood lots of things, he was quite intellectual”.

“Chris would have been everyone’s favourite homeless person, he was a lovely, lovely, quiet guy who fell on some hard times.”

Ms Cowan said Mr Milne, a father-of-one who had conquered his alcoholism just months before his unexpected death, had been engaging with Shekinah House for about four to five years.

The tragedy, she said, was that his mother, who lives in Queensland, had organised a permanent residence for him in the sunshine state, but Mr Milne felt he needed to stay in Launceston to fix unresolved family matters.

“I talked to him last Thursday,” Ms Cowan said.

“He didn’t want to leave Launceston (because of those unresolved matters).

“But I said, ‘You can always come back.’

“It was a real dilemma for him.”

Mr Milne’s friend Ella Meredith, of Legana, told the Mercury her friend “never failed to put a smile on my face”.

“Chris was the most kind-hearted man I have ever met and had the most gentle soul,” she said.

“Whenever I saw him around town I would always pull over to give him a hug and have a chat or listen to his favourite songs on YouTube on my phone.

“He was so grateful he was whenever I went and brought him a bag of food and drinks from Woolies.”

Launceston teen Makayla Flaherty, meanwhile, said the “whole community appreciated everything (Mr Milne) has done for all of us without much to give himself”.

“It’s such a big loss for so many people.”

A memorial service is in the process of being organised with input from Mr Milne’s mother, Shekinah House, City Baptist Church and council’s homelessness response group with details to be advised.