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Colin Henderson on Terry Solomon

Terry Solomon
Terry Solomon

We met at the Trough at 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday 9 December 2003 to have a beer and a chat about Solly (who'd died, aged 55, back in July from complications of diabetes renal failure that led to a massive heart attack) and what to do with his ashes.

We set off for Stafford Park with the ashes in an urn, gathering outside the old clubrooms before moving through the alley on to the park. We stood there on half way. The guys playing touch must have thought we were nuts as we lined up across the park and took turns at scattering what seemed like an endless urn of ashes. Solly was a big man!

We split up, each taking a scoop of ashes to scatter under the goalposts. When we got to the northern side of the field, near Doc Mayhew 's house, we scattered the last of the ashes along Doc 's boundary , right under his lounge window. We figured that since we had taken care of Solly for 35 years, it was now up to the Doc to oversee him , and make sure he didn't attempt a comeback!

We read a poem as the last farewell. It wen t something like this

ode to solly

Your mates have come to bid you farewell ,
To one of life's characters that we all new so well;
We scatter your ashes all over the park,
The place on this field where you first made your mark.

Many a day you pleased the 'Cote crowd,
Your voice could be heard, shit, you were loud ,
As you whacked your opposite number and took him off the ball,
We scored so many tries while you still carried on with the brawl.

We remember the guys who you have joined up in the 'Pear lies ',
Miller, Ennor, Arblaster, McEwan and Lindsay, to tell more curlies ;
So now we can scatter these last remains of you,
And set you free to haunt Doctor Mayhew .

There are no Trannies or * * * * in a sock ,
To bid you farewell or suck on your * * * *
Your life of debauchery in the gutter and the sewer,
We say farewell, pal, this is definitely the last Solly tour.

Those present were Mark Jakich, Bruce Moore, Des Farmer, John Weir, Colin Henderson , Gary Bancroft , Hillary (from the TAB), Tim Kronfeld and Malcolm Howarth.

It is worth noting that Solly had an interest in a racehorse called Mass Attack. Appropriately named, as it turned out. It never won a race while Soll y was alive but in its first start following his death it was the rank outsider in a race at Alexandra Park and won , paying $73.

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