Lionel Richards

Lionel Richards was indeed a great man of compassion and kindness. I never did met up with Lionel and I thank Dave E for alerting me to the Australian Fathers4Justice group, as I live in Christchurch - New Zealand. Lionel controlled this group in the early days before his sad departure. He could feel the pain and heartbreak expressed within the Internet group. I was having a real rough, rough , rough time with the law at the time, as a victim of false sexual and domestic violence allegations. Then out of the blue Lionel rung me from Western Australia – 21 May 2005. What a man of wisdom and inspiration , he talked me around, as I was dwelling in stinking thinking mode, what's that M.A.S.H theme song ? RIP dude , happy bowling upstairs .

I wish to thank you Dave E sincerely , for alerting me to the support network available for fathers suffering from over zealous authorities in a gender bias Kangaroo Court.

New Zealand has a feminazi Prime Minister ,so being a father's right activist puts me at the number one slot black book mark. SIS ,lots of phone clicks and blog attack Press articles etc..etc... talk about spooks lurking behind every corner . Oh the book , one day I hope ? The price of freedom is constant vigilance and it pays to be ever so careful critiquing the pathetic nanny state moronic braindead government boreholes. These sinister political socialist show ponies indulge in policy that is both nonsensical and family destructive. The modus operandi of feminazi types who use unscrupulous tactics is simple once a bent PM has put all the right people in the right places , simple - eh girls .For example , the head researcher at the Families Commission is a radical feminist . People like H1 & H2 are just childless utopian deluded pelican politicians, who gobble up all the money and think they are supreme beings , untouchable in the real world because they hate men and the family ,accountability, common sense and freedom of expression . Hey big sick sisterhood system leave our kids alone you jack booted demented witches !!

In solidarity brothers - parent power rules
Cheers from down under
d4j kiwi Batman

" Its better to be defeated on principle than to win on lies." -Arthur Calwell


To post to this group, send email to Equality-4-Fathers-International@googlegroups.com


Roger Knight
You were a good man, Lionel. We will miss you. Go with God. _________________...

Posted for members who never knew Lionel ... and those who have forgotten about him.

I remember Lionel spending all night tracking an American father down who had posted to a forum that he could no longer face living without his children. Lionel found his phone number eventually, called him and talked him out of taking his life.

In Memory of Lionel Richards

Lionel Richards, founder of the Ozydads Network, has died from a heart attack at the age of 56. He will be sadly missed. Lionel was known across Australia and indeethanks to the internet across the world for his tireless efforts on the part of separated fathers and separated families. Lionel was the bloke who would ring you up when no one else cared, a notoriously manic night owl with a heart the size of the rock. Women devestated by the notorious bastardry of the Family Court and the Child Support Agency were amongst his staunchest fans. He worked tirelessly for separated fathers and their children. Ian Windsor, a father from Canberra, summed up many people's feelings: "I am not ashamed to admit that I shed a tear for Lionel Richards yesterday when I read of his untimely death. Lionel was a humble but great man with a passion for changing Family Law to allow good fathers to continue their responsibility of raising their children after separation on an equal basis with the children's mother.
I was impressed by his sincerity, forthrightness and his quickness in analysing complicated concepts and reducing them into simple English. One among many crucial points he raised was the commonality of good fathers being wrongly accused of child abuse and domestic violence post separation when their behaviour during the marriage had never been in question.
Sadly, very few legislators, judges, lawyers and other experts shared Lionel's passion for fatherhood. None recognised his expertise in child custody matters and the importance of separated fathers being fully involved in their children's lives.
Lionel was a good man who loved his children and who worked tirelessly for others. His passing is a great loss to the country and he will be sadly missed. My deepest condolences to Lionel's children on the loss of their father."
Ozydads Network was a home away from home. A small piece of Cyber World is dedicated to addressing the Anti-Father bias in the Family Law arena and support network filling the gaps between sparse to non existent Father's Crisis facilities available. Lionel believed the Status of fathers had sadly sunk to an all time low, partly deserved but largely due to a vicious attack by radical Gender Feminists who have hijacked the Women's movement to further their Misandrist agenda. You can visit www.OzyDads.com for more detail.
Lionel ran a number of chat lines which provided comfort to many people during the long night hours. They included not just Ozydads but others dedicated to various groups, including victims of Parental Alienation with the StopPAS e-group. He believed PAS is Emotional Child Abuse. There was also the FamilyRules Exchange at www.FamilyRules.net
The OzyDads network supported the Child's Right to both Parents, endorsing 50/50 Shared Parenting as the default position in Family Law.
Lionel Richards was also a founding member of the Shared Parenting Council of Australia.
He also for a period ran the famous cafe Captain Munchies; a notorious hangout for people who needed a chast in the middle of the night.
In one of his many incarnations, he ran against the WA Attorney General in the seat of Fremantle as an independent focussed on father's issues.
In a statement he said: "On top of many local issues, my primary platform is Men's Health Issues and the Status of Fathers. It includes items like:

* The Gender Neutrality of Spousal Violence / Child Abuse and need to create Domestic Violence Shelters for MALE VICTIMS and their children.
* The FAILURE of the Family Court of WA to deliver reasonable outcomes and the misandrist gender bias of it's industry professionals.
* An opportunity now exists for the tail to wag the dog as WA did not surrender Family Law powers to the Federal Government in 1975 along with the rest of Australia and it is possible for WA to lead the way in Family Law reform by amending the Family Court Act of WA (1977) legislating to provide a rebuttable presumption of EQUAL TIME SHARED CUSTODY or PARALLEL PARENTING in cases of entrenched conflict.

My platform hinges on the old adage that prevention is better than cure. We need support services for men so they don't crash and we need support services for children of broken families, and we need these services yesterday. We must change the focus on how Family Law is dealt with by removing the gender bias that is causing so much grief.:
As Attorney General Jim McGinty enacted Domestic Violence legislation which is anti-family and based on only HALF of the WHOLE TRUTH, that some men perpetrate violence on their wives, but he totally ignored the OTHER HALF of the truth being that some women also perpetrate violence on their husbands. I am very disappointed that the Government and the Opposition have totally ignored these "hot potato" issues that need to be addressed and resolved."
Why would anyone stand as an independent candidate on a platform of Men's Health issues and the Status of Fathers against a sitting cabinet minister in a safe seat? Because Men's issues don't just impact on men, but also on their children, their entire family and the community at large, which has to handle the enormous human and financial cost when things go wrong.
OzyDads is not a self-pity group but a self-help support network that grew out of necessity from a grassroots beginning. Even though our membership numbers over a thousand men and some women, our members have largely been emotionally raped and asset stripped by the misandrist Family Law industry, so unfortunately this will be very much limited to a shoestring campaign. Even if I don't win the seat of Fremantle, I hope to shake it sufficiently to bring the issues of Men's Health and the Status of Fathers in the family onto the front burner of the political hotplate and demonstrate to the major powers that these issues ARE of real importance in the minds of the electorate.
This is not so much about Father's (or Mother's) rights but about the CHILDREN'S right to love and be loved by BOTH parents freely and without limitation.
Well Lioinel didn't oust the Attorney General of WA, but at least he had the guts to have a go.
Here are some other tributes:
It is with considerable sadness that I relay the news that Lionel Richards, father of three teenagers (Carl, Amy & Andrew), friend, activist and founder of the OzyDads Network, passed away on Saturday 6th August 2005 from a heart attack.
Lionel had previously had some heart issues, about 3-4 years ago, and had recuperated from those, with some rest. He appeared in good health and spirits when I met with him in June, in Melbourne, on a stopover on his way home from the Canberra demonstration. As usual, he was fired with his vision and passion to reach out and to help others in practical ways and our conversation covered the broad range of people and activities that Lionel was involved with.
Lionel (ex-Captain Munchies restaurant) in Fremantle, loved his children and was passionate about them and their welfare, and often spoke of them. He worked tirelessly for them ... and for many other separated parents and their children, both locally in the Fremantle, Armadale and Perth areas and around Australia and the world. He loved people and enjoyed helping them.
Lionel founded the OzyDads network about 5 years ago and was able to connect and help many people virtually (on the internet) and locally. He will be greatly missed as a man, as a father, as a friend, as an helper of others who came along side them and supported and advised them and as an activist.
Lindsay Jackel

Testimonial:
Oh what a very sad day today is and remembered by all of us in these groups that one man helped to bring together.
Passed away today 6/8/2005 from a heart attack.
I wept after getting the phone call this afternoon, his poor children, he has helped sooo many of us in all different ways and had so much more life left in him to live.
I want to thank you Lionel Richards for making my husband and I stronger, to believe in ourselves, that we have rights, that our children have rights and that together all of us in the groups can make a difference if we believe in what we are fighting for and believe in each other.
I believe in your power you gave to us Lionel and I promise this, to keep up the fight and to help empower others going through the same things. I promise to help as many people as humanly possible to empower themselves and stand up for their children and their rights.
You once advised me to write a poem how I felt and I did and it all summed up in one sentence didn't it:
ALL FOR THE LOVE OF OUR CHILDREN, PARENTS IS WHAT WE FIGHT TO BE, AND ALL OUR CHILDREN NEED IS LOVING FROM YOU AND ME.
Rest in peace Lionel and thank you from my soul and my husbands for touching our lives and many others you gave always of yourself to help and never gave up fighting for all of our rights, thank you.
Love always and forever.

Testimonial:
We are sorry and saddened to hear of Lionel's passing. Unfortunately we cannot attend his funeral as we are in Tasmania. Lionel helped our family immensely and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.
Cheree and Kent

Testimonial:
My wife and I were deeply saddened to hear of Lionel's passing from a heart attack on Saturday evening.
He worked tirelessly and selflessly to help many men and women defeat the biased system and he battled constantly to improve Family Law.
His efforts will long be remembered by many.
We must continue the struggle or his efforts will have been in vain.
We must ensure that the Ozydads network, F4J and SPCA remain active.
Our thoughts are with Lionel's family at this sad and distressing time.
Jeff and Penny

Testimonial:
The Fatherhood Foundation team and our many associates around the nation send their sympathy and love to this wonderful family. We salute you and your father for playing an important role in the restoration of fatherhood in the nation. Lionel was a fearless leader in the men's movement and gave his time and resources to his brothers who were caught in the grist mill of the family law system. Lionel will be irreplaceable as both a father, and a fighter for justice, but is our hope and prayer that many others will arise to take his place to fight for equality and the restoration of fatherhood in Australia today.
Yours faithfully
Warwick & Alison Marsh, Fatherhood Foundation

Testimonial:
Dads in Distress everywhere send their sympathy to family and friends and we want you to know that Lionel has made a difference to our lives and that of our children's lives. We are so often caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey, especially the goodness of the people we meet on the way. We are pleased we were fortunate enough to meet Lionel. Thank you Lionel for being there when we needed you . . .
Tony Miller Founder Dads in Distress


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