Home and Away actor Dieter Brummer's mum shares call to action to 'use our grief'

Dieter Brummer in 2010. Photo / Getty Images

Dieter Brummer's mum says to many her son was "a star of their favourite television soap" but to her he was her "handsome, talented, funny, complex and beloved Dieter".

Dawn Brummer, who was unable to return to her Sydney home for days after her 45-year-old son was found dead there, said "he has left a massive hole in our lives and our world will never be the same".

Brummer has set up a GoFundMe page with all proceeds going to Beyond Blue.

She said she hoped to help others like her son who are going through a hard time fighting mental health issues.

"We know there are others who are suffering and need help. It is our hope that we can use our collective grief for a positive effect," she said.

"Together, we can raise funds to make a real difference to the lives of those affected by depression and prevent other families feeling as we do now. Please give your support by making a donation in memory of Dieter."

In one of Brummer's last Facebook posts, on July 15, he thanked a friend for securing him some work.

"It's been a long time since I rescued you and you have finally returned the favour," Brummer wrote.

However, two days later that job was shut down after Covid restrictions were extended to the construction industry.

Brummer became a star at 15 when we was cast as Shane Parrish on TV soap Home And Away.

He appeared in 557 episodes of Home And Away, and won Most Popular Actor at the Logie Awards in 1995 and 1996.

However, he asked to be written out of the show amid rumours he did not get along with his co-star Melissa George, who played his on-screen wife, Angel.

Brummer felt like he needed to go and get what he felt was a real job.

"It was a pretty intense time coming out of high school to receive all this fame and adulation. As great as it was I wanted to prove to myself I could get my hands dirty and sweat for a buck as easily as standing around on set, being primped and preened," he told TV Tonight.

Brummer said he always meant to return to acting but it took him a while, as many casting directors were unable to see him as anyone but Home And Away's Shane Parrish.

"You get typecast. It's hard for producers or casting agents not to remember. I'm still 'that bloke from Home And Away' 20 years later," Brummer said. "Sometimes you sit back and think, 'I wonder what it would've been like if I didn't get that job at 15?'"

Last week Dawn Brummer said she was planning to write a book about her son.

"I'm hoping that the book will help people who are suffering from a depressed state of mind," she said. "It is our hope that we can use our collective grief for a positive effect."

"His friends are helping me," she said. "That's filling my life now, I'm just writing, writing, writing."

Where to get help:

• 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)
• https://www.lifeline.org.nz/services/suicide-crisis-helpline
• YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633
• NEED TO TALK? Free call or text 1737 (available 24/7)
• KIDSLINE: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)
• WHATSUP: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)
• DEPRESSION HELPLINE: 0800 111 757 or TEXT 4202
• NATIONAL ANXIETY 24 HR HELPLINE: 0800 269 4389