This is a blog about our holidays, but something happened on the weekend that I wanted to make note of as I won’t be in Australia again till the 6th of October so will not be there to support and mourn with my friends and colleagues.
On Saturday morning the Royal Australian Navy Band lost one of it’s members in a tragic, senseless, incident when Leading Seaman Musician Colin Hughes was hit by an out of control car whilst standing at the passenger crossing in Cairns outside the living-in accommodation. He was there as part of a contingent from the Band to support the Far North Queensland Navy Week celebrations. I can’t give you exactly how long it has been, but I’m fairly confident that he is the first Navy Musician to be killed whilst on duty in a very long time.
Others will comment on the senseless, soul-destroying nature of this incident. That is something to be done in private, not on this forum. What I wanted to do though, as I will most likely miss the funeral, is say a few words for posterity about Colin.
Colin joined us in the RAN band about 5 years ago after transferring from the British Royal Marines. He was one of a collection of British changeovers at the time, moving his family to the warmer climes of Australia. As he came in as a Leading Seaman I shared a changeroom with him along with the other senior ABs and LS. Whilst we were not close friends, we never socialised outside of work or anything like that, we were work colleagues for 4 years and spent a great deal of time working in close proximity.
I’ll remember a lot of things about Col. I’ll remember bagging him out when we would beat England in the cricket. I’ll remember talking about football in the mornings. I’ll remember giving him shit for all the lycra he’d wear to and from work on his bike, along with the weird looking mirror on a pole he’d have strapped to his head. I’ll remember how for someone who rode a lot, he seemed to have A LOT of falls. Most of all, I’ll remember, as will everyone else in the changeroom, the countdown of 3...2...1... That preceded the disrobing of underwear at the end of the day prior to re-lycraing for the ride home. The funny thing about a countdown is that it doesn’t really work as a means to make people NOT look at you. I saw a lot of Col’s stuff throughout the last few years...
We who serve in the military are part of a family, bonded through shared trials and tribulations. Col served two countries for his entire adult life, a feat few achieve. He did it, like the rest of us, in the best way he knew how: through music. His legacy will be memories and friendships and bonds across two nations. A fun loving man who enjoyed a drink with friends, and a laugh with work-mates. His loss will be keenly felt by all those who served with him.
Our thoughts are with his wife and two daughters, and his extended family. They are with his closest friends, particularly Brian and Martin who served with him both here and in the Royal Marines. They are with those members of the band who were in Cairns and bravely tried to revive him, and those that comforted each other through their shared loss. They are with my Navy brothers and sisters back home who are going through this painful period. They are with his brothers and sisters in the Royal Marines, particularly those that will not be able to make the journey to Australia. And they are with anyone else who had their lives touched by a good man.
The ripples of the stones of our lives as they touch the waters of the world are far reaching, and they never truly dissipate, merely join with others to form that which we call our shared community.
Thanks Col. We will remember you.
3... 2...1...
Lest We Forget.
RaC
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