Beaconsfield mine collapse survivor Todd Russell has died, days after leaving hospital to spend his final days at home.
The 54-year-old had been in the Launceston General Hospital for eight and a half months with an undisclosed illness.
On November 3, Russell told his followers on Facebook that doctors had run out of options.
“The time has come medically and phyically [sic] where there are no further options on either front for me & there is no more fight left in me,” he wrote.
He went home the next day to be with his wife, children and friends.
Russell was a volunteer firefighter with the Beaconsfield brigade for more than 30 years.
In a tribute, the brigade acknowledged his passing with “great sadness” and offered its condolences to his family.
“Rest in peace, Todd. Thank you for your service and dedication. You will be sadly missed,” the brigade said.
The Tasmanian Volunteer Fire Brigades Association (TVFBA) sent its condolences to his family, friends and brigade colleagues.
“His contribution to his community and the Beaconsfield brigade and the respect he earned from others leave a lasting legacy that will not be forgotten,” association state president Raz Stow said.
“On behalf of the TVFBA, we honour Todd’s life and offer our heartfelt sympathies to all who knew and loved him.”
“May the memories shared and the lives he touched bring comfort during this difficult time.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he was thinking of Russell’s family.
“Thoughts this morning are with Todd’s loved ones and everyone who had the absolute pleasure of knowing him,” he said.
Local MP Michael Ferguson visited Russell at home on November 6.
In a post on November 8, Ferguson said he told Russell how much he appreciated him, “not just for his extraordinary service to our community as Beaconsfield fire chief, but for the friendship and the good things he brought to this world”.
“Todd has endured so much over these past few years. It all seems terribly unfair,” he said.
Russell and his co-worker Brant Webb were trapped almost a kilometre underground for 14 days after a rockfall at the Beaconsfield gold mine on Anzac Day 2006.
Their colleague Larry Knight was killed.
