Ian Stewart's heartache
02 September 2006 Herald-Sun
Mark Buttler
SOME of football's greatest names have rallied around legend Ian Stewart after the tragic death of his daughter.
Amy Stewart, 25, died in hospital from injuries after her car hit a tree in country Victoria.
Triple Brownlow medallist Stewart and his wife, Suzie, are shattered.
The champion centreman's former clubmates from Richmond and St Kilda have banded together in support.
Stewart's close friend and 1973 premiership teammate Rex Hunt said yesterday the death was a huge shock.
``It's a tragic loss of a beautiful young lady,'' Hunt said.
``It's just so sad that the greatest footballer I've seen has lost his most treasured possession.''
Hunt said those who knew the Stewarts would provide every support they could.
``Ian and Suzie Stewart know how many people love them. When they're down, we're bleeding for them,'' he said.
Tom Hafey, Stewart's coach during Richmond's golden era in the 1960s and '70s, said Ms Stewart's death was a dreadful tragedy.
``Everybody's sad to hear the news. We just all feel sorry for one of our great friends and teammates,'' Hafey said.
Other footy greats who shared the field with Stewart said yesterday they would be in touch to give what help they could.
The intensely private Stewart did not want to comment publicly.
Ms Stewart, from Woodend, was travelling south on Blackwood Drive, Macedon, at 10.30pm on Wednesday when she lost control of her car.
She was flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries but died on Thursday.
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner.
Ian Stewart, a premiership player at both St Kilda and Richmond, is one of only four men to have three times won football's highest individual accolade.
He took out the 1965 and 1966 Brownlows playing with the Saints before shifting to Richmond in 1971 and winning that year's medal.
Stewart later coached South Melbourne and Carlton.
Essendon's Dick Reynolds, Fitzroy's Haydn Bunton and South Melbourne's Bob Skilton are the other three-time Brownlow winners.
In 1982, Skilton lost his son Darren in a car crash and Bunton died in a road accident in South Australia in 1955.
Victoria's road toll stands at 236, 33 more than for the same period last year.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,20330212%255E19742,00.html
