Robert Innes – Tragedy on Sydney Harbour

On March 28, 2007 Robert Innes’ daughter, Morgan, was killed in a boating accident on Sydney Harbour. Two others who were also close friends of the family died in the accident and another friend lost her leg.

Morgan was missing for five days before her body was found. Robert and his wife Kim (who are from Brisbane), were immediately confronted with the financial realities of an unexpected tragedy in their lives, from $1,800 in flights to $12,000 in funeral expenses.

Robert was the CFO of a publicly listed company and following the tragedy experienced severe depression, which made it impossible for him to continue to work full time. He had the added pressure of financial responsibility for a dependant wife and son.

Fortunately for Robert, he had adequate levels of Income Protection (or disability) Insurance in place. A long-term friend, Brian Collins, also a financial adviser, would often talk to Robert over tennis games about the value of insurance – Robert trusted his friend and took out cover for himself and his family through CommInsure.

Robert attests to the fact that when you take out the insurance, you do so fully believing that you will never need to use it but at the same time you can never understand the damage these events can cause in your life. When the unexpected happened to him, Robert was able to take six months off work to focus on his recovery and working through his grief and is now able to work part-time.

Robert believes that without the financial support provided by his insurance, his family would not be here today. He is able to cope knowing that the financial burden on his family is lifted and as a family they are able to support each other together through this tragic time.