Thredbo survivor Stuart Diver opens up about losing both his wives
His life has been marred by tragedy but the sole survivor of the 1997 Thredbo disaster Stuart Diver has opened up about learning to stay positive in the face of enormous grief after losing both his wives in separate tragedies.
Stuart lost his first wife, Sally, in the landslide which killed 18, before his second wife, Rosanna, died from breast cancer in 2015 after three years of marriage.
Stuart Diver with his first wife Sally.
Despite losing two loves of his life, Stuart says his life has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Both Sally and Rosanna added such an enormous amount to my life that it would be sad for me to live as positively as I can in their memory,” he writes in the Sunday Telegraph.
“I hope people see me as someone who has been through a couple of big tragedies now, and yet I can still get on with life and live it to the fullest," he said.
"Overwhelmingly, my life is hugely positive. I know some people may find that strange, as both my wives have died, but it’s true."
Stuart with his daughter Alessia who he had with his second wife Rosanna.
Stuart said that he owes it to his young daughter Alessia, whom he had with Rossanna, to make sure her mother is not forgotten and that the pair live a normal life.
“My daughter Alessia calls me both her mum and her dad. She's seven now, but she lost her mum when she was four and a half, so I spend a lot of time making sure that Rosanna never gets forgotten,” he said.
His greatest success he says was not his miraculous survival in the landslide but bringing up his daughter.
Stuart, a ski instructor, was the sole survivor when 100 tonnes of earth crushed the popular NSW resort, flattening two ski lodges in July 1997.
He was pulled from the rubble after 68 gruelling hours trapped inside. His wife, as well as 17 others, died trapped inside.