A FOOTBALLER, a father, a brother, a son, a former copper and a larrikin. Those are some of the ways 49-year-old Mark Lucas was remembered on Friday at Nobbys beach. One of Mark's children, Jack, 9, was presented with a photo of his dad as part of the premiership-winning reserve grade side with the Knights in 1995. His parents Denise and Derek Lucas made the trek from Gunnedah to participate in the tribute organised by former colleagues and footy mates, and was attended by friends and family. Mrs Lucas said her son was a kind-hearted man who, like so many first-responders, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He took everything to heart, she said. The Knights lured Mr Lucas to Newcastle as a 19-year-old in 1993. He joined the police in 2002, where he stayed until 2020. Those 18 years took their toll. He retired from the police force with PTSD and passed away on November 3. He talked a lot about his PTSD, Mr Lucas said, during the two years after leaving the police force. "I think it was just a combination of a lot of nasty things that police have got to deal with every day," Mr Lucas said. "And while there was plenty of help available, they've got to reach out themselves." "He relished in keeping going when he was really hurt and charging the ball forward when he was hurt, and I think he just thought that'd be the same thing when he got this," he said. "I don't know what the answer is but they can't bottle it up. I know that." Pat Gleeson, a former colleague of Mark's, said the gathering at Nobbys was a way for people to show up for each other - family and friends, with the understanding that everyone needs support, especially people who suffer from PTSD. "We want to let everybody know that we're there to help each other and there's always somebody available to talk no matter what time of the day it is or where you are or what's going on," Mr Gleeson said. "This is about making sure that we keep in contact with each other and check in, not just on RUOK days, and to have the courage to be able to say, you know what, I'm not doing Okay. "That's probably the message that I would see is coming out of it." Mr Lucas said more funding for PTSD would help both treatment for sufferers and would help to raise awareness.