Memories by Chris Sexton
Read by Dad’s second-born son, Chris, after the Ode to Michael (Mike) John Sexton
Thank you to Aunty Cindy for that beautiful poem. I would also like to add my own few words about Dad.
We weren’t supposed to be doing this for another 20 years. I will cherish the time we spent renovating the house down in Flemington forever.
I was shattered when he was diagnosed in 2016. We had planned what we were going to work on for his return to Melbourne that was supposed to take us through to Christmas of that year.
Ellen and I completed the majority of the remaining work, but we never got the same level of enjoyment as we did working with Dad.
Even though he couldn’t be there, he remained interested in everything we did, right up until we left Melbourne in early October to quarantine here. In late September he sent me instructions for how he would install a new front gate, and even ordered the jackhammer for me to get started.
As my siblings have said, he truly was a kind and generous man. This was not only with his own children, but for others as well.
This was evident in the time he dedicated to junior football and athletics. During the renovations in Flemington, he would often leave Melbourne for quick trip to attend an athletics committee meeting, or go back to Canberra during the winter months to manage the cross country. Only returning to Melbourne when the weather was in his words ‘a bit less shit’.
He took a keen interest in the success of others, and it was heartening to read some of the stories this week highlighting him doing this very thing, both from his former colleagues and the testimonial written by the South Canberra Tuggeranong Athletics club.
When my wife Ellen went to university in 2015, Dad took an interest in the business subjects she was studying and her progress through the course. When she graduated in 2018, he sent her flowers for the graduation, and him and Mum watched the whole graduation livestreamed from here in Canberra, sending us photos of them cheering her receiving her degree. I was at the actual graduation ceremony and if I could have turned it off, I would have.
We are all better people for having known him. I have often found myself saying ‘what would dad do if I’m unsure of how to approach a task or situation. The answer is inevitably ‘just have a go’ and if you make a mistake, what did you learn from it.
I love you Dad, and you are already sorely missed.
I want to also take this opportunity to thank the doctors and nurses from the Hematology department of the Canberra Hospital. They did an amazing job, however, it has been said that without their work, we wouldn’t have gotten another 4 years with Dad. While this is true, it misses the efforts of others in the continued love and care of Dad.
Once diagnosed, Mum basically became Dad’s fulltime carer, driving him to all of his appointments, blood tests, transfusions, and making sure he received and took all of his medication. When his immune system was low, she would ensure the grandkid visits were halted, adjust his diet to remove any risks, and monitor for any signs of infection, calling an ambulance whenever his temperature reached 38 degrees. Without your efforts Mum, we wouldn’t have gotten another 4 valuable years with Dad. Thank you for everything you did for him.
To Olivia, you were there more than any of us when Dad was in hospital. I’m not just referring to the most recent time, but each time he was admitted, you were there to keep him company, buy him coffee, and make sure he ate. You did an amazing job caring for him and managing his pain in the final weeks. Thank you.
I also want to thank you for everything you did to help facilitate an urgent permit for me, Ellen and Riley to enter the ACT, and letting us quarantine in your apartment. Riley got to meet her grandfather because of you, and we will be forever grateful to you for that.