I met Ross
approximately 18Years ago at the Factory Community Centre where my son had
recently begun in before/after day care. I had been asked to join the committee
and he was the secretary at the time.
He seemed a
friendly person, polite, courteous and welcoming.
As I became
more involved in committees and organisations he was also involved in I got to
know him better.
He had a quirky
sense of humour, much like my own and he liked to learn and understand. He too
had a strong sense of, not just right and wrong, but proper and improper way to
treat others and behave.
As time went
on and our paths crossed more often he began telling me more about the things
he had done, places he had been and people he had met.
Eventually we
struck up a regular friendship and through him I met many of his friends. Those
he knew personally and those he knew professionally. The reality was that he
was introducing me to his family I just didn’t know it yet.
He also
introduced me to the community. The organisations that supported and helped
others. The places people met to talk and spend time in the company of others,
to seek help and to help. He was a part of this, this helping others develop
both themselves and as part of the place they lived.
I met some of
his close friends and became their friends and welcomed into their lives. “I
have a lot of time for such and such” he would tell me after we had spent time
with a particular person. “They have a lot of potential and are doing something
with it.” I learnt that his measure of a person appeared to be that they would
do something to better themselves.
He had a
passion for life and living it, a good meal, great coffee, sticky cake
desserts, good company and conversation.
After Betty’s
passing we shared many an evening at my home sharing a family meal and talking
about the day.
How he had
been to a meeting at Ashfield and again the executive bikies were missing.
How he had
wandered over to Uncle Mickie Mundine to catch up seen so and so there and
gotten his visa to Redfern renewed.
How he had
lunch with Trevor at the tripod.
He caught a
rattler to Milsons point to talk about some housing issue.
He’d wandered
up to Kings cross community centre and spent time there.
How he had
taken Diana for a walk around the flats delivering South Sydney Heralds.
A catchup
with Geoff about an issue REDWatch was looking into.
His Saturday
morning coffee with his friend at Marrickville metro.
How at
another government consultation forum again they had repeated the same things
over and given no real information. Oh and still no executive bikies.
He had caught
up with someone he hadn’t seen in some time and enjoyed a coffee and a long
chat with them.
He would not
be over for dinner the following night as he had a Labor party meeting. He had
to escort Diana and keep the natives safe from her.
And how James
my son was doing at school, or looking for a job.
He told me
about his days riding bikes and driving cars when his knees went driving
speedway circuits.
He told me
about his life and the people he worked with between Sydney and Adelaide
working with carnivals.
He told me
about the beauty of NewZealand, the places, the people, the NewZealand show
bands and their vocal talent and skill playing instruments.
Told me about
his grandfather, the old villan he would say, had tought him how this was built
or how that worked.
We would sit
after dinner and watch a tv show complaining that the scene just shown was so
improbable, yes well it’s just a tv show.
Ross was a
proud man, proud in his friends, proud of his heritage and proud of his
community, and wider community for those of us outside Waterloo.
He was an
intelligent man who liked to share his knowledge.
Ross was an
uncle to my son who always looked out for him and tried to pass on to him his
wisdom gained from experience.
Ross was not
just a friend to me he was my brother and I will miss him.
Time to rest
my brother.
From Jose
Perez.