ANDREW & GORDON

My dad is 79 years old and we are closer than ever before.

Whilst he was older than most dads I knew growing up, it never affected how we interacted or related at any point. I vividly remember playing cricket with him in the backyard, kicking the footy, fishing - doing all of the typical father/son stuff after a hard day’s work with a smile and enthusiasm. If he was tired, he never showed it.

Today we are definitely as much mates as we are father/son. We share the odd frothy beer as he tells another of his famous stories of days gone by. Stories where characters like Crafty, RatSack and “BIG TOE” are brought up on high rotation; where crooks, thieves, drunks, fighters and gamblers ruled the streets of Oakleigh in the 1950’s – but that is a story for another time!!

Now that I have kids of my own, I can’t help but think back to the good times I had with my dad growing up and can only hope I can be the same role model, friend and father to my kids. 

~ Andrew