RIP James Valentine: They Sent the Homie Off Right, But What About the Rest of Us?
ABC radio OG James Valentine gets his flowers, but the real question is: who's lookin' out for the everyday folks?

Aight, so they had a whole memorial for this dude James Valentine, right? Longtime host on ABC radio. Word is, he was cool people. Family, friends, all the big shots showed up in Sydney to pay their respects. Governor-General, TV personalities, the whole nine. Salute to the man, he put in work.
But lemme keep it 100, fam. While they celebratin' this cat, what about the rest of us? Everyday folks grindin', hustlin', tryna make ends meet? Nobody throwin' us parades when we check out.
This Richard Glover dude, used to be on ABC, hosted the thing. They played it live on the radio. Real nice for the people who knew him, but some of us out here just tryna survive, ya dig?
This lady, Jacqueline Brewer, said she never met him but he was a “familiar voice.” That's cool and all, but a lot of us don't even got a voice. Ain't nobody listenin' to what we gotta say.
Another OG, Margaret Throsby, read texts people sent. All love and sadness. I feel that. But where's the love and sadness for the people gettin' evicted, can't feed they kids, dealin' with police brutality? Real talk.
ABC managing director Hugh Marks called him a “master of the art.” Aight, but what about the art of survivin' in this messed up world? That's a masterclass nobody teachin'.
Chef Matt Moran said he was devastated when he heard about the cancer. Cancer ain't no joke. But healthcare ain't equal, and some of us ain't got the resources to fight that battle.
This opera singer, David Hobson, talked about Valentine bein' dedicated to his family. Gotta respect that. Family first, always. But some of us ain't even got a stable family structure, dealin' with broken homes and generational trauma.
His son, Roy, said his pops was “open and honest, kind and warm, family-focused.” I ain't hatin', but let's be real, that ain't the story for everybody. Some of us grew up hard, ain't never seen that kind of love.
His daughter, Ruby, talked about him bein' a great father. That's what's up. But a lot of kids out here growin' up without a father figure, lookin' for guidance in the streets.
Look, RIP to James Valentine. He did his thing. But let's not forget about the bigger picture. While they pourin' out love for one, we gotta pour love into the community, lift each other up, and fight for a better future. Keep it real, y'all.


