Blue Wiggle's stunning gesture for late veteran's family
Blue Wiggle Anthony Field has donated all his latest album's royalties to the family of a war veteran who passed away from cancer at age 30.
Afghanistan veteran Brendan Nikolajew died on July 29 this year after fighting testicular cancer on-and-off for the past three years.
A few weeks prior, the Blue Wiggle promised to donate the royalties from the group’s latest album, Lullabies With Love, and has lived up to his word. After giving Mr Nikolajew all of his songwriting credits, the royalties will now go to his wife Leah, and their two young children.
“I took my name off all the songwriting and put Brendan’s name instead, and gave him all the royalties and credits,” the musician said.
He said Mr Nikolajew found the situation to be quite amusing.
“We had a good laugh about this, because it’s nominated for an ARIA award, so if we win the ARIA that ARIA is going straight to Leah and the family, and we’ll get Brendan’s name engraved on it,” Field explained.
“It would be fantastic — I mean, he’s got so many medals from his service and now he might end up with an ARIA too.
“He was hoping to still be around for the ARIAs. He was going to take his daughter and son.”
Field, a fellow Army veteran, became acquainted with Mr Nikolajew two and half years ago, and described him as “one in a million”.
“He’s one of those people you are very lucky to meet in your life,” the 58-year-old said.
“I learnt so much from that young man. He taught me how to live and boy, did he teach me how to die.”
Just before Mr Nikolajew passed away, Field said the pair spoke about the loss of his niece.
“Brendan lost his niece in the lead-up to his death and we had a good talk about it,” Field recalled.
“I said to Brendan, ‘What’s going to happen when you pass over?’
“He said, ‘I’m going straight to my little niece’ — that’s the sort of man he was and I know he would be there now, looking after her.”
Mr Nikolajew’s status as an ARIA award winner is yet to be determined, with the winners to be announced on November 24.
Images: @anthony_wiggle / @brendans.cancer.fight (Instagram)