Such wonderful memories: Cricket greats gather in Townsville to farewell Roy
Australian cricketing greats have gathered at a private service in Townsville to celebrate the life of Andrew Symonds with a fitting dress code of ‘definitely no jacket and tie required’.
Symondsā wife Laura and two children, Chloe and Will, arrived at Riverway Stadium on Friday, along with former teammates Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson.
They were among a plethora of cricketing royalty to see off the proud North Queenslander who died in a car crash on May 14.
At the morningās private service, hats, flowers, a crab pot and a bat ā items symbolic of the many facets of Symondsā life ā were placed at the foot of his coffin.
There was also a picture of Symonds wearing an Akubra hat, with a smile that fans of the allrounder will remember fondly.
Speaking afterwards, Gilchrist fought back tears as he spoke of his friend on and off the field.
āI literally canāt believe he is gone, nor could anyone that was at that service today,ā he said.
āIt was full of sadness but such wonderful, beautiful memories ofĀ aĀ guy that gave so much of himself to so many people, unconditionally.ā
Symondsā larrikin nature and true Australian character resonated with cricket lovers across the country during his 227-match first-class career.
Universally known as Roy, it was that personality that ensured Symonds was admired for his bullish nature with the bat and arrow-like precision on the field for Queensland and Australia.
Stay informed, daily
Following the private ceremony, former Queensland and Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy hosted a public memorial service, with Ponting, Gilchrist and Darren Lehman among the speakers.
Poet Rupert McCall was also expected to deliver a poem in celebration of his good friendās life.
.
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
