This the text of the eulogy delivered by his brother Keith
When Anne, Terry, Kathryn and I were growing up we had a favourite relative, Uncle Athol. He was the one we all delighted in seeing, the uncle with a ready smile, a helping hand, quick wit and questioning mind. I’m sure that everyone here today also have a favoured relative, the one that everyone gravitates to, the one who can make you feel special with the simplest of actions and words. To me, the ‘Uncle Athol’ of our generation and tribe was Terry.
Terry was the conscience, the conversationalist on near any subject, the one who took an interest in every member of the family and extended families, the one who would do good natured, unexpected, often outrageous, things just to give a laugh, make a point or achieve a change.
And he didn’t restrict his warped humour and stunts to the family, as fellow workers readily attest to. One day he casually let slip to me that he was keeping very quiet at work about turning 50. ‘Reluctantly’ I forced myself to email his Optus co-workers alerting them to this event. I was most impressed with their respect for Terry as that same day I had five replies all in similar words “Thank you very much, we’ve been waiting to get square with him” Which they duly did in an equally good natured way. We also heard great examples of this humour, and their respect for him, at his 60th birthday party.
Besides thinking of the next stunt or setup he could pull, he was also a deep thinker on items such as meditation, Buddhism and the meaning of life to name a few. Plus he would get others thinking about these issues too, sometimes using copious amounts of red wine and port to fuel the discussion.
When our Mum and Dad were in the winter of their life and needing care, Terry was the one who cheerfully became the major player in their care. The family saw his efforts as being very generous. Terry simply saw it as repaying a debt of care they gave him when he was battling with childhood asthma. In the process of giving that care he became a much loved volunteer at Mater Christi.
In the later years of his life Terry found a soul mate in Debbie. They loved each others company, shared many great trips and had plans for many more that are sadly not to be. Debbie has been alongside Terry every inch of this battle with cancer and for this we are truly grateful.
Now Terry is no longer with us. His wit, his smile, his stunts are no more. But please don’t let the spirit of our brother fade, more than ever we all need to question the status quo, to offer a helping hand without expecting anything in return, to stir the pot in a good natured fashion to achieve change. And when you do these things, just explain your actions as ‘Doing a Terry’, something that would make him mighty pleased.
And one final request, please don’t delay with getting skin spots and blemishes checked regularly.
Vale Bro.