I never met Col. We did discuss various things over the years though. I was aware he'd been ill some considerable time ago, but I had no idea he'd fallen ill in more recent times. His passing so suddenly is still hard to process. A constant for me for the last getting on to close to 20 years. The man responsible for pulling us all together in our shared love of racing. Someone who selflessly gave us this place to discuss and debate, and he kept it running for all that time with seemingly no reward, despite the 'episodes', 'tempers' and 'tantrums' that would have tried lesser men. He gave us his time, his expertise, his dedication, and passion. And he did it all quietly behind the scenes when we all took it for granted and thought it would go on forever. Why do we always seem to lose the good guys first.
I've been a bit awol recently, because I let something trivial in the grand scheme of things make me switch off from here. My regular visits every day had previously been a fundamental part of every day of my life for a very long time, so Col's passing brings my reasons for doing so into sharp perspective. Such a selfless and kind man deserves so much more respect than we could ever give him, and I/We owe it to him to keep his memory very much alive by ensuring Talking Horses continues to thrive now and long into the future. We owe it to him. He's given us everything. A community, shared friends, and a bond that would never have existed if he hadn't given us his time for quite literally no reward. If you knew nothing about him, then that alone tells you what kind of man he is. Kind and generous, with a natural inclination to put others before himself.
My heart goes out to Stav and all of his family. Losing Col so suddenly at such a young age must be impossible to process. I might be wiping away tears as I write this, so god knows how they are feeling, and how they even start dealing with their loss. There is no easy way to process it, but if it's any comfort at all, he was so widely respected by so many people over the years. In a way that so few people in this world are. I never got to thank him in person for the significant part he's played in my life. Some of my very best friends are because of this place, and I know so many more people in person because of the shared passion of racing that Talking Horses has brought. Colin has brought. I am forever in his debt, because he has influenced my life in a way he could never have imagined.
Col I'm certain you're already settled into the bit of heaven specially reserved for the good guys. Thankyou for everything. Rest in peace mate.
