W-Ms in Australia

Our dear friend and former neighbour for nine years, Bruce Paterson, sadly passed away on 7th June aged 83. He was an incredible man - so utterly in touch with nature. He spent 40 years doing bush regeneration in the bush land behind our old house, he was a highly talented artist, graphic designer and musician. He did everything in epic proportions - like cycling from Sydney to Perth in his younger years! Just last year Manly Surf Club taught him to surf, aged 82 (!) and he was shown on a documentary doing it much better than I can after several lessons! He even ran the 9km soft sand run in Manly (soft sand is seriously tough if you've not tried it!) just 3 years ago. During his life he completed 30 marathons and many ultra long distance bike rides. Until just six months ago, he cycled every single day from Allambie Heights down to Manly and back UP again wearing his trademark wetsuit! While in Manly he would do the 1.6 km ocean swim with our swim squad the 'Bold & Beautiful' and in fact we got to know him most from our shared love of ocean swimming despite having lived in the same street for so long. Dunc would occasionally collect him from our old street at 5.30am to take him to a hospital appointment or operation. Yesterday I went to the small memorial service for family and a handful of friends. On 24 June, at Bruce's request, his ashes will be scattered by the 'Bold & Beautiful' swim squad on the point where we always wait for everyone to catch up. He has also requested that everyone sings "Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye" so I can only imagine the sea level rising with the amount of tears that will fall. I will be in the UK sadly as I would have loved to farewell him in his own special requested style but Dunc will swim for us both and Matt will walk from Manly to Shelly to represent my swimming buddy Laura who is also going to the UK. He was a truly inspirational man and we are honoured and privileged to have had him in our lives.

Bruce was told by his doctor just before Christmas that his cancer was soon going to end things for him and he suggested Bruce go on a longed for trip before his 83rd birthday (10th Feb 2012). The 'Bold & Beautiful' swim squad, set up by Julie pictured below in pink shirt with the grey hoodie like mine, therefore organised a celebratory early 83rd birthday breakfast for Bruce in January after one of our ocean swims. By this stage Bruce was no longer able to cycle to Manly nor swim with us so I collected him on the morning of his birthday brekkie, he watched us swim and then at least 60 of us celebrated his birthday with him at Manly Wine over coffee.

Not only did he get to see his real 83rd birthday in February and give a slide show of his life's achievements at the local Humph Hall to a packed hall (it went on for five hours apparently, I got there for half an hour or so after a 30 km training walk for Coastrek). He also did go on a longed for trip - he and a fellow ocean swimmer from our group took the train to Broken Hill just SIX weeks before he died!!! This is a 1,147 km trip!! It takes about 13 hours by car so I can only guess that the train journey is epic. Apparently he wanted to go as far as he could within NSW to use his free Seniors' rail pass!

Bruce - you continued to amaze us all, right until the end. You are going to be truly missed by so many.