Got a surprising emotional lift at opening Facebook yesterday. There it was, the Kellogg’s Nutrigrain
Ironman New Zealand notification of opening the applications for the 2017 Tony
Jackson Ironman Scholarship.
I knew it was about to be up on their website and Facebook page at some
time but was still taken aback and excited to see it there, yet again, for some
individual to have the pleasure of giving more purpose in their endeavour to
achieve making the start line of Ironman in Taupo next year.
Ironman New Zealand initiated the scholarship scheme in 2014 to
acknowledge the commitment and services Tony gave to their sport, their organisation
and the many, many athletes and administrators involved in all of their events.
It was a true privilege to know they thought so highly of him. And a superb tribute to the special man he was. I have no doubts he will be
gloating with much self-satisfaction up there in Heaven, knowing he has been
acknowledge so.
In the past two years two individuals have been the recipients of the
scholarship. Two amazing, incredibly
strong and self empowering individuals.
Both who have achieved, without question, and by achieving have
motivated others that “nothing is impossible to the willing mind”.
I have gained immense value personally from knowing and meeting these
individuals and can honestly say they have affected my own life by their
integrity and staunchness.
An added bonus is the circle of family and friends they have surrounding
them, some of who I now consider unique and special individuals that have
affected my life.
The scholarship has had far greater rewards for more people than Ironman
New Zealand could ever comprehend.
Seeing the Facebook notification sent the usual sentimental shivers
through me as well. Mourning a great
loss does not go away or fade no matter the passage of time, but time does give
one opportunities to learn to introduce strategies to work through the void and
still keep smiling. So I smiled big time
when I saw this on Facebook.
On the website there is a 2 minute video, snippets taken from the Sky
Television coverage, which sums up what the scholarship is about. It is worth taking the 2 plus minutes to
view.
Following the notification I received a lovely email from someone I
barely know but someone who saw the update and felt compelled to share a
lovely, personal story he had of Tony some many years ago, a story relating to
how Tony had helped him when in a training pickle. It was a delight to read the email and I was
ever so grateful to have received it and know that yet again there was another
incident where he gave someone a lift, a helping hand.
That person had not know about Tony’s passing until well after it
occurred and asked some pertinent questions as to why, what and how he had take
the journey to his new residence.
Rather than pick up the phone and begin a soleful conversation, or sit
and write it in an email, I quickly looked back in my files and attached for
his interest the speech I gave at the 2014 Ironman Awards Banquet when the
scholarship was officially introduced.
It merely skimmed through Tony’s last years, skipping many a chapter (as
that would be the size of an encyclopedia) but I felt it covered off his
questions. He came back to me with an
email full of love and caring, and with huge integrity – I was touched.
So I thought it may be appropriate to reprint it now – not for mournful
purposes but to let those who do not know who Tony Jackson is, and why Ironman
New Zealand honoured him so.
Following is the outline of the speech I gave.
Speech for the introduction of Tony Jackson Scholarship at Ironman
Awards Dinner, 1 March 2014
Tony Jackson Scholarship
When Janette from Ironman
contacted me last year to moot the concept of a Tony Jackson scholarship I couldn’t have
been more supportive. For all the years
that Ironman has been in New Zealand Tony would have helped many very ordinary people
complete some extra ordinary feats;
while at the same time managed to achieve being a quiet extra-ordinary
person himself.
Tony competed
in every single New Zealand Ironman; since the very first one held in Auckland in
1985, until last year 2013, when he was too ill to compete – it was the first New
Zealand Ironman Tony had not competed in - Tony passed away exactly seven days
after that Ironman.
Tony was a
very ordinary, happy man; a man who quietly managed to mentor, encourage,
guide, instruct and enthuse every day ordinary people into doing things they
had thought impossible to achieve. Back
in the 1980’s, long before Ironman, or Asics or New Balance picked up on the
saying, Tony would tell people, “Nothing is impossible” but he always
added …
“to the willing mind.” Tony lived his life by that motto of his. And to many, competing in any triathlon, let
alone an Ironman seemed a formidably impossible thing to achieve. Yet Tony would show them that, with a willing
mind, it was not.
Tony was 45
years young when he started and finished that first New Zealand Ironman triathlon
in 1985. It is refreshing when one reads
his old diaries and realises how different it was then – their training, their
methods – they were real Ironmen in those days.
Tony was never a world beater – but the records do
show he could turn out some good times. He qualified for Kona many times, but
only went three times – even managing to podium place.
Not by
planning, but more by chance, as the years passed Tony ended up completing
every other New Zealand Ironman – and helping others do so; that is, until December 2007.
At Christmas
time 2007 Tony was diagnosed with a brain tumour. The worst kind of brain tumour one can
have. His Christmas gift was two major
brain surgery operations with the outcome of being given the life expectancy of
only twelve weeks.
Ten weeks
later, with the thought of only having about two more weeks to live - and in the middle of his regime of radiotherapy
and chemotherapy Tony started and finished his, and New Zealand’s, 24th New Zealand Ironman.
Months after
that he had to endure a further series of invasive major brain surgery ; yet, once
again, Tony started and finished the 2009 New Zealand Ironman; the 25th and even managed a 2nd
place in his age group.
In the months
following that Tony had yet more surgery, this time with plastic surgeons who
had to remove & lift off his entire scalp, turn it around, replace it and
reshape his hairline – he had staples and stitches around his entire head – yet
in March 2010, Tony, again, started and finished the New Zealand Ironman, his
26th.
The following
summer Tony was still biking, swimming and running, but in January 2011 whilst
out cycling with a good Ironman training mate, training for that year’s Ironman,
Tony suffered a mini-stroke. Whilst in Accident
and Emergency at Auckland hospital he became paralysed down one side of his
body. I reflect with bemusement the
looks on the medics faces when at 11 o’clock that night, in A&E, the medics rushing into our little cubicle to
find Tony attempting to lean himself on the side of the hospital bed trying to
do a Pilates routine that he thought
would help to get his paralysed side working again. Six weeks later in March 2011, Tony started
and finished his 27th New Zealand Ironman. That was the 4th Ironman that he
completed after having been given only 12 weeks to live , four years earlier.
Two years ago
in March 2012 with his willing mind, Tony started and finished what he knew would be his last ever Ironman. It was his, and Ironman New
Zealand’s 28th.
Throughout
all of those 28 years and particularly during the last five years of his own
trials, Tony continued to help, and advise, and mentor others who had a goal of
doing an Ironman – he proved to them –.. “..if
you have a willing mind, nothing is impossible.”
So last year when
Ironman was on here in Taupo, Tony was back in Auckland, very ill in hospital. But it was a special Ironman for Tony – for our
son completed his own first Ironman
– for us this was achieving the almost impossible – for no one would ever have
expected this son to do an ironman – a drinker, a smoker, a night clubber, a
recidivist electric puha smoker – even to Tony this would have seemed
impossible – yet the impossible was achieved – our son did it for and because
of Tony.
After finishing
he returned to Auckland where Tony was in hospice care and presented the medal
Tony in his hospital bed during the last ever moments that Tony had roused
himself into some form of consciousness.
Tony gripped that medal in his left hand. And there it stayed. He died five days later with that medal still
in his hand. I am damned sure he would
have arrived at the Pearly Gates and convinced St Peter that he had done his 29th
Ironman.
So this
scholarship that Ironman New Zealand has developed comes with real meaning and
purpose. Over his 28 years of
Ironmanning, and throughout those last five Ironman years, Tony would have
helped, trained, coached, mentored, inspired, assisted and guided many people
to achieve not only their first Ironman, but sometimes their 2nd, 3rd,
6th or 10th Ironman.
Ordinary people, whether 20 or 70; ordinary people, who without his
encouragement would never have achieved
that personal goal.
This
scholarship is New Zealand Ironman’s way of continuing Tony’s and their belief to each person out there - that, like everything in life, including
Ironman - ‘Nothing is impossible to the
willing mind’.
These are the special two individuals who were the past two recipients.
Bring on the Tony Jackson scholar for next year!
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