Tribute to Uncle Steve
Firstly, I would like to say that it is a privilege and an honour to pay tribute to a man who I was close to and knew all my life. He was the last surviving brother to my mum, Gons Saman and my aunt Jan Thathiah. The passing of Uncle Steve was extremely tragic to his sisters, as they grew up as a very close family unit and I am certain under different circumstances they would have attended in person. From my mum, Aunty Jan and all my cousins and their children, our deepest and sincere condolences go out to his family and to all those who felt he was their guiding light.
I would like to be a bit selfish and share my experiences with Uncle Steve in the hope that it will capture a semblance of our relationship and to some extent my extended family. I have rarely come across a person who always greeted you with such warmth and love, making you feel special and he did it to all who found themselves within his presence.
Our journey together started when my family relocated to Newcastle in the 1970’s. We would regularly see Uncle Steve and his family and one of his most endearing qualities was his quick wit and his ability to make me laugh. This became an entrenched character trait of his, always looking at the brighter side of life, and yet I for one certainly never heard him complain about life. Always smiling, fully engaged, sincere and could transcend all age groups to hold conversations. All the children in his life most certainly were the true beneficiaries of these attributes because he simply loved kids.
Many years later, I was lucky enough to have lived with Uncle Steve and Aunty Jenny for a few months and soon enough I was drafted into the family as one of the sons. Amongst all the fun we had, one of my most striking observations, was our regular family meetings to discuss family issues. Everybody was free to express themselves and let me stress, I had never seen him angry in those sessions or lose his composure which was a quality of his that I observed through my entire life. It had such a profound impact on me that we have adopted it in our family. I guess I am saying he demonstrated a way of life through living his life, more than being prescriptive or instructive to others.
His commitment to his faith was unwavering and all that knew him will bare testament. When I decided to get married, I chatted with my fiancé and asked if Uncle Steve could officiate the ceremony, naturally she agreed, because who better to bless our marriage than my Uncle, even though we are Hindu. When we got to Newcastle, we had a Christian wedding. I would have expected nothing less because it was yet another example of his approach to life. I will certainly miss my quiet time with him on the golf course and the many hours of wisdom.
I could go on for hours talking about my Uncle, but when I think about Aunty Jenny, it is with pain in my heart, that I say this family has lost a very dear human being. One never knows when your time has been spent on this Earth, but I guess the more important question is, what have you done with your time? For me, Uncle Steve spent his time dedicated to uplifting the quality of lives of others and there are fewer more noble purposes of living one’s life. We pray that God lays his hand upon you and our family as we journey through this difficult phase of life.
