Adam Gilchrist remembers lasting impact of the late Andrew ‘Roy’ Symonds at Bulls Masters tribute event
Australian sporting legends Adam Gilchrist and Simon Black have paid tribute to fellow icon Andrew Symonds, as the country marks the three-year anniversary of his tragic passing.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Australian sporting legends Adam Gilchrist and Simon Black have paid tribute to fellow icon Andrew Symonds, as the country marks the three-year anniversary of his tragic passing.
Gilchrist, who was in attendance at Thursday’s Bulls Masters Remembering Roy Tour event in Far North Queensland, spoke of the “privilege” that he felt to be present to remember one of the country’s most famous larrikins.
Others in attendance alongside Gilchrist and Black included Australian cricket royalty in Ian Healy, Mark Waugh and plenty more besides.
The Bull Masters organisation was formed in 2010 out of an idea first floated by former Australian cricketers Jimmy Maher and Michael Kasprowicz.
Its primary objective is to help develop cricket in regional communities through fundraising and other programs, something which Gilchrist said fit perfectly with his late mate’s own character.
“I feel privileged to be a part of it. I’ve admired right from the outset the whole concept of the Bulls Masters and what they stand for and create,” he said.
“Everything about this concept and what Bulls Masters do, that was just Roy. He was one of the heart and soul members of this organisation.
“He lived it and walked it, he didn’t just talk it.
“So we’re here in part to make sure that his legacy lives on and gets carried into the future.”
Gilchrist also paid tribute to two other Australian cricketing legends in Shane Warne and Rod Marsh who both passed just months before Symonds.
“I think there’s an acknowledgment here as well that the cricket family lost three significant members in that short space of time,” Gilchrist said.
“Of course ‘Warney’ and not least Rod Marsh, who was actually on a Bulls Masters trip when he suffered his heart attack.
“It’s very close to home for us and very special for us to be able to carry all their legacies forward.”
The presence of a Brownlow medallist, Norm Smith medallist and three-time premiership footballer in Black demonstrated just how far-reaching Symonds’ impact on the sporting community was.
“I love the entire concept behind this event, of remembering Roy,” Black said.
“I was lucky enough to meet him once, he was a really good guy.
“He was fun, he was energy, and he was obviously a super talented cricketer.”
Black likened Symonds’ impact on Australian cricket to the impact of his former teammate and current Collingwood coach Craig McRae when they were together at Brisbane.
“From what I’ve been told he was to the Australian team what Craig McRae was to some of the Lions teams I played on,” he said.
“The bloke who would bring the fun and the life and humour to the footy club, and it sounds like Roy did a similar thing for Australian cricket.
“You love playing with those sorts of blokes. There’s not too many people going around who could pack out a luncheon like this to celebrate their legacy three years on.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Adam Gilchrist remembers lasting impact of the late Andrew ‘Roy’ Symonds at Bulls Masters tribute event
‘We’re not the prettiest’: Fretwell sees huge similarities to Lightning’s premiership years
Sunshine Coast captain Steph Fretwell has likened her side’s on-court performances to the Lightning’s 2017 and 2018 premierships while also reflecting on her 150th Super Netball milestone.
Kennett: Mental health round not the answer to tackling suicides
The deaths of Adam and Troy Selwood have sparked calls for the AFL to hold a mental health round every year, but there are better ways we can try and reduce the act of suicide.