I wrote this to be read out at my Dad’s funeral back in August 2019, I cared for him for the last 2 years of his life. It’s not easy caring for someone you love, seeing them slowly deteriorate, knowing what will eventually come but when we talked about the end, we made plans, we talked about the past and the future, Dad was happy I had everything in place for the funeral and would make sure his wishes were followed through. He always wanted to go to Australia but never made it, part of our plans were for me to take his ashes to Australia, I will be doing that later this year.
I played for hours with your regimental belt
Thinking one day I’d have one as grand,
But the Andrew for me, Senior service no less,
‘The Admiral’ from your buddy, Uncle John.
Sergeant you made, not a raised voice needed,
Firm but fair was the motto.
You told me to play the white man,
When the villains always wore black hats.
You cheered me on from the sidelines,
You bought a copy, of everything, I wrote.
You were there at every twist and turn,
Encouraging, heart swelling with pride.
We laughed and we argued, we chatted,
And, we sat in silence.
We trusted each other, we made a pact,
I’ll follow it through to the word.
‘You know the rules’ you said,
’Don’t get an expensive box’,
And we know why that was, you crafty old git,
There’d be more money to spend at the bar.
Moderation in life, in all that you did,
No fuss from the start to the end.
So we say farewell and see you next time,
We’ll raise a glass and remember you well.
life ... places & faces ... 