Florian Pouchet

Felt really sad waking up and seeing “RIP Kevin” in my timeline. I doubt there is a more well known name in our industry but if he’s unfamiliar to you (or you haven’t read this book), go and grab “Ghost in the Wires” which is an exceptional read. Kevin started regularly coming to the Gold Coast about 6 years ago. I first met him here just after I’d gotten a boat and thought it would be a great idea to take him and my kids on a ride to a pretty secluded island. We had an awesome trip over, moored just off the beach then sat at a little cafe having lunch. When we went to leave, the tide had dropped and the boat was sitting half way up the beach, going nowhere. And a storm was coming. We ended up spending hours sitting in the cafe into the night while we played Jenga and he taught the kids card tricks. Eventually, late and dark with the storm still raging, we headed home anyway navigating through the pitch dark via the flashing red and green beacons. We came home drenched and according to Kevin, elated anyway at an awesome day out 😊 I never stranded Kevin anywhere again, but we did do more boat trips in the years to follow. The stories this guy had were nuts; obviously the hacking, but changing identities, being on the run, getting locked up and perhaps what hit the most, solitary confinement. It was a crazy time he found himself in (“Kevin might whistle nuclear launch codes into the telephone”), and he paid a hefty price. But he also later made a hell of an honest career out of it and became highly entertaining, and highly in demand. He was polarising, but there’s no arguing he earned his way to the top. You kinda hope that when you pass on, that’s not the end of it insofar as you’ve made a lasting difference. We’ll still be talking about Kevin for decades to come, and there’s no arguing that he helped shaped the industry to become what it is today. A colourful character and friend, RIP Kevin. dignitymemorial.com/obituari… – at Gold Coast, Queensland