John Brown

John stopped playing a number of years ago so many current Crossers may not have known him well. Those of us who did will remember him as a stolid, if not terribly enterprising, batsman and an avid devotee of the "Dirty Draw", often at the expense of an easy win.

Nonetheless John was ardently committed to Holy Cross and often took on roles as captain and president when times were difficult and other volunteers were lacking. He was especially eager to see that the club was in good shape when he and Chris Kerr stood down from running it and saw Holy Cross through good times and bad to its current healthy state.

John's dry wit and sardonic outlook earned him the nickname "Eeyore", but behind the occasional barbed comment, most often aimed in the direction of Colin McGill, was a mischievous smile which betrayed his true affability. He was always good company.

In spite of his avowed visceral partisanship towards a certain footbal club, John was instrumental in making Holy Cross the tolerant and inclusive club it is today and he was, above all, a very fair man and a sportsman. Holy Cross is fortunate to have had John at its heart for many years and the club is much poorer for his loss.

Shifty