Vale Mottsu’s Dad 19 June 1930 – 7 April 2011
Much loved and much missed.
A number of people at the funeral said that although it was a sad occasion the service was special.
I recall a time Mottsu’s parents visited from New Zealand and we took them out for a special dinner to Jean Jacques, on St Kilda beach. Mottsu’s Dad ordered an entrée of mussels and he was disappointed. He was thinking of delicious New Zealand green lipped mussels, one of the largest mussel species, he was served little local Melbourne mussels. He was disappointed with the mussels, Mottsu and I were disappointed that he was disappointed. Things in Australia were never as at home. I love to tell that story whenever somebody mentions eating our little local mussels. For Mottsu’s Dad there was nowhere that compared to New Zealand.
I also remember dancing with Mottsu’s Dad at Mottsu’s brother’s wedding. We managed a reasonably synchronised shuffle. He shook a little, trembled with a little shake that arose from somewhere deep down. Dancing wasn’t something he did very much of.
I loved Mottsu’s Dad, shy tremor and all.
He was a truly good man, a father who lost his son too early.