Seven years ago, I was preparing to live underwater for the 1st time. It was a dream of mine to live underwater, and something that I never gave up on thanks to my Dad's support. He always encouraged me to take risks, be creative and stand out from the crowd. He was the eternal optimist and never gave up on anything or anyone.
While I was living underwater, my dad was undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer. He was sick and weak, but came to visit me every day without fail and did his best to utter words of encouragement through the intercom. It brought tears to my eyes every time he came to visit, but I knew I was making him proud and that is what kept me going. He even managed to row out in a canoe with his good friend Des Walters to welcome me back to dry land. We embraced each other in a way that I will never forget. It was as if time slowed down. I wanted it to last forever.
In a way it has though. I am about to undertake my biggest and boldest challenge yet. Whenever the task ahead starts to overwhelm me, I remember my dad's story about the mouse eating the elephant (one bite at a time). I also remember him scratching my back every night when I was a little boy and asking me what I wanted to do when I was older. He would always finish with, "If you dream it, you can do it"!
Dad managed to make it to the Australian Geographic Society annual awards night in Sydney when I was named the Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year. This was one of the best moments of my life and I was so grateful to be able to share it with him. He hung on while I flew to Greece to run the Athens Classic Marathon, my first marathon. I called him afterwards to tell him I had finished and then flew straight home to be by his side and show him my medal. He had introduced me to the sport and it was another proud father - son moment.
Dad passed away just a couple of weeks later while my wife, mum, brother, sister and uncle sat there holding his hands. Thank you dad for everything you gave us. I will do my best to keep on living a life less ordinary, taking risks, pushing boundaries, encouraging creativity and making people smile :)
While I was living underwater, my dad was undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer. He was sick and weak, but came to visit me every day without fail and did his best to utter words of encouragement through the intercom. It brought tears to my eyes every time he came to visit, but I knew I was making him proud and that is what kept me going. He even managed to row out in a canoe with his good friend Des Walters to welcome me back to dry land. We embraced each other in a way that I will never forget. It was as if time slowed down. I wanted it to last forever.
In a way it has though. I am about to undertake my biggest and boldest challenge yet. Whenever the task ahead starts to overwhelm me, I remember my dad's story about the mouse eating the elephant (one bite at a time). I also remember him scratching my back every night when I was a little boy and asking me what I wanted to do when I was older. He would always finish with, "If you dream it, you can do it"!
Dad managed to make it to the Australian Geographic Society annual awards night in Sydney when I was named the Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year. This was one of the best moments of my life and I was so grateful to be able to share it with him. He hung on while I flew to Greece to run the Athens Classic Marathon, my first marathon. I called him afterwards to tell him I had finished and then flew straight home to be by his side and show him my medal. He had introduced me to the sport and it was another proud father - son moment.
Dad passed away just a couple of weeks later while my wife, mum, brother, sister and uncle sat there holding his hands. Thank you dad for everything you gave us. I will do my best to keep on living a life less ordinary, taking risks, pushing boundaries, encouraging creativity and making people smile :)