I feel I need to share something with you that is close to my heart. A mate of mine has been bravely battling poor health for a number of years. Recently, it has taken a turn for the worse and I felt that I should write this to him, his family and friends just for the record.
I won’t mention any names here, but those who know him will recognise who I am writing about. I need to go back to around 1969 when I was playing cricket for Eudlo in a team that went a number of years without winning a game. We loved playing and knew no better about the winning part.
We were playing Nambour at Eudlo and there was this kid who was the life of the party. Not sure why I noticed him – maybe his personality or his hair – but he was hard not to notice. Anyway, like everybody we played, they left as winners. But I was left with an impression of one bloke: big personality and basically just a whole lot of fun, even when he was beating us.
A few years later, I went to Nambour High as a poor pineapple farmer’s kid going from a school of 40 to one of 1400. I was very nervous and what confidence I did have was left at Eudlo State School.
But there was this kid with the hair and personality and all his mates. They were the cool kids and had no reason to give me the time of day, but they did. All of sudden, I had a bunch of new friends I still have to this day, even though I rarely see them. We had some amazing times (weird ones as well).
The kid with the hair and big personality had his views about everything. There was nothing he couldn’t do sport-wise, but he also had firm beliefs that he expected everyone to agree with. For instance, he disliked smokers, but hated people who littered even more. If we were walking along and someone threw an item out of their car window, he would pick it up and throw it back in. That gave us some interesting moments. Luckily, he could fight.
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Not only did he give me friendship but so did his family, which is something I will never forget. His most endearing quality was always his courage in conviction to his beliefs and his friends and family.
Nelson Mandela said courage was not absence of fear but triumph over it. He could have been talking about my mate.
I wish I could repay him for what he did for me with good health. Love you.
Ashley Robinson is Metropolitan Caloundra Surf Club CEO, chairman of Thunder Netball and a lifetime Sunshine Coast resident.
