Stuart Moore

5.00am Roo 23m44 6KM (3m55 KM pace)

Tomorrow I have the choice or racing 3000m at Masters in the morning (8.00am) or the QA All Comers Meet in the arvo (4.30pm). Given that the Masters race is 'run' with the walkers and unlikely to have anyone to assist with pace , I shall race at the QA Meet even though the heat at 4.30pm will be very tough (28 O C forecast). I simply have to run faster than my 9m22 last outing! All my training seems to indicate I'm in good form so I will not be happy if I don't run circa 9m10! There I've said it, the pressure is on.

Stu Moore was the mate who first convinced me to go to Oz backpacking in 1988. He had carved out a nice lifestyle working as an accountant! commuting on the ferry to the city each day ,living in a unit directly looking out onto the inner harbour of Sydney in Fairlight /Manly for those that know, just to the side of the pool enclosure.

He sent me a couple of tapes of Ozzy bands, Spy V Spy, The Oils (Midnight), and James Reyne "watching the Manly ferry, cut its way to circular quay"

it was the sentence that got me to quit my job and backpack around the world!

It conjured up images in my mind of another World I knew nothing about but wanted to experience.

Ultimately it made me who I am today as I was to meet my beautiful wife Natalie in 1989, in North Sydney and that was that!

Stu Moore was another guy like Jack Buckner that you couldn't believe what he was capable of to just look at him.

1500m PB of 3m43 equates to just about a 4min mile!

Unlike Bannister, this man was a Cambridge Blue!

He very kindly inviting me to Cambridge University to a cocktail function.

For a Redbrick University, High School lad it was a real eye opener.

It was another World, not that any of Stu's chums were 'toffs' but they had such a different take on life. Of course they were all Public School (Private School) educated or like Stu had won significant scholarships by being immensely bright!

We got drunk wandered back to Christ's, stealing as many bicycle lamps and pumps as we could lay our hands on!

I recognise that trying to put a few sentences down about a mate to summarise them here is futile because I could go on and on about Stu but these incidents might help show his character.

The first storey also involves another character hugely influential in my life Jeff Kaye (another Bloody Accountant).

Jeff and Stu were about 14 years old at the time, they were getting changed after a cross country race in a typically freezing cold English sports pavilion changing room.Though they knew of each other and both ran for our Club they had not developed a friendship yet.

Probably standing up on the benches to keep their bare feet off the freezing concrete floor.

Half naked, Stu was getting changed.

Not feeling hungry, Jeff was examining the contents of his sandwich, he'd opened it up and decided he didn't want it.

He slapped the open sandwich on Stu's thigh!

It hung there! Stu looked and Jeff gobsmacked - incredulous - lost for words.

The expression on Stu's face was WHY?

The silence of the moment , the amazement of the action.

The sandwich hung on for an eternity.

No immediate laughter ! just the look of WHY did you do that?

I guess you had to be there!

When I lived with Stu in Fairlight, Stu had some amazing culinary delights that he used to cook up! How about Brussel Sprouts on Toast!! Stu didn't like the TV to be on unless it was for a specific program ,nothing wrong with that but for a fairly hardened TV addict it was hard for me to get used to. One evening, Stu asked me if I fancied going to the pub (the Manly Pacific was the best place we thought we might be lucky enough to meet a girl). That evening, I got dressed and Stu drove us down to the Hotel, dropped me off and said "see you later!" and drove off leaving me to have a drink by myself ! and of course a lonely sad git is never going to get anywhere by himself!

Another really endearing character trait of Stuey's, for years and years ,Stu sent me a Birthday card/Christmas card/or just a plain old Post card regularly from his extensive travels around the World. Now I guess married life and emails have killed off Stuey's lone pursuit to keep Australia Post solvent. Stu moved to Perth (he loves isolation!) met and married Christine and had Declan!

Stu once again changed the course of my life by inviting me out from the UK to Perth for his Wedding in 2002. It was this trip (my third to Oz) that convinced Natalie and me , that life was better in Australia and my growing family would be far better off in Oz than in the UK. Two years later we were living in Brizzey in Gods country, Queensland!

Stuey wears the white Jocks and that's me in the pink mesh. I don't think I'll see Boxing Day Handicaps like that again!!

For all that and a lot lot more , I love you Stuart!