Friends hold match in honour of slain Sunshine Coast man Zdravko 'Zed' Bilic

Australia Broadcast Center

3 days ago

Zdravko "Zed" Bilic was mad about soccer, or football as it is better known outside of Australia and among the purists.
He played it, coached it and watched it.
Without fail he would bring his trademark warmth, enthusiasm and bright smile to every match and lesson.
That is what his friends, who became family, wanted to remember on Saturday afternoon.
They gathered at Albert Park in Melbourne underneath a stunning blue sky.
Many were still in disbelief that a beloved member of the Albert Park Allstars, perhaps the brightest star of them all, had been taken in such horrific circumstances.
"We all need to be here to grieve together," friend John Christodulakis said.
"We've [Allstars] been going for 30 years and he was a part of this for around 25 years.
Mr Bilic died at his Sunshine Coast home last Sunday night.
Police have alleged two teenage boys, aged 15 and 17, broke into the Warana home Mr Bilic shared with his wife of nearly 20 years, Gry Tømte.
She was interstate at the time of the incident but has since returned to their home.
Before the match was played on Saturday, friend George Josevski read out a letter from Ms Tømte, who also sent down her late husband's jersey so he could be there "in spirit".
"I'm pretty confident when I say that Zed loved his Albert Park Allstars almost as much as he loved our pups and I," she wrote.
"In fact when I told Zed I wanted to move up north, his response was, 'No way, I've got Saturday soccer.'
"It was a point of contention for more than a year, with me telling him he could fly down every weekend and besides, 'You'll find a team up there'.
"To which he replied, 'But never one like this, we're family.'"
The couple eventually moved to the Sunshine Coast three years ago, but remained in regular contact with their Melbourne friends.
Mr Bilic did indeed find a new team, and new friends are now also mourning his loss.
But every Saturday, he would send a message to the Allstars Snapchat group and last Saturday was no different, as he jokingly bragged about having to endure another picture-perfect day by the beach.
"He made you the centre of the universe, and you knew you were important in his life," Mr Christodulakis said.
"He didn't have a bad bone in his body, he was just a beautiful, happy person."
Mr Josevski said Mr Bilic had always been welcoming of new players.
"He just took everyone under his wing, the energy, the positivity and just the love. That's all he gave, love and care," Mr Josevski said.
"And to be taken away tragically, unnecessarily, it's just hard to take."
He said family and friends had been buoyed by the messages of support they had received from around the country and the world.