Dr. Guy GRANT Eulogy

Dr Guy GRANT

Died 31/12/2001 at the LGH

Memorial Service held at Pinegrove, Devonport on Tuesday 8th January 2002.

Music by Miles Davis
Refreshments at the Pinegrove Chapel

It is my privilege this morning to be with the family and friends of Dr Guy Grant - to share with you in this special memorial service. To wife Kathy, daughters Kirsty who lives in England and cannot be with us and to Holly we extend our sincere sympathy, offer our love and our support.

In accepting Guy's death, knowing Guy was no longer able to lead the style of life he loved, having respect for the man, sharing the friendship and love you have for Guy and for each other – all of these feelings and emotions will give you the strength and the courage to move forward – to move on with your own lives.

Speaking with Robin Burtt earlier he spoke of the many messages received from Internet friends since hearing of Guy's death – it shows that Guy's influence was not just within this community but very much widespread.

My name is Jan Rodman the Celebrant invited by Guy's wife Kathy to lead this special service. I did know and meet Guy on a couple of occasions – just briefly, but long enough for me to realise how unique a person Guy Grant really was. To say he was 'different' would be a gross understatement.

I don't need to tell those of you here today very much about the man, Guy Grant – for you each knew him far better than me.

However, there's a little verse I recall that brings to mind my perception of Guy's approach to living:

The Clock Of Life
By Robert H. Smith

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.

To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one's health is more,
To lose one's soul is such a loss
That no man can restore.

The present only is our own,
So live, love, toil with a will,
Place no faith in "Tomorrow,"
For The Clock may then be still.

It seems that Guy went about living his life keeping in mind that he'd be here on our earth just once and in that time he had a tremendous amount of things to experience, goals to set and achieve and dreams to dream and to realise – in our world he was destined to leave his mark.

The stories in the two local papers summed up Guy Grant fairly well. "Why ask, what did Guy Grant do?" – just try to find something he didn't do! He was a unique character – he liked to get his own way, was a big frame of a man yet could be gentle, compassionate and caring of his patients. If he could help someone, he would.

Guy could be a bit of a larrikin, a bit of a show-off says Kathy, but people were drawn to him and often saw him as an inspirational person.

People will remember Guy Grant for many different reasons. He accomplished a great deal in a relatively short lifetime – his name is well known and will be remembered by people from many various walks of life.

From sports such as football, weightlifting, heavy weight boxing, pistol shooting, karate, rowing and cricket, in the justice system where his science of hypnosis was widely used in helping to solve crimes, in the music world where we're reminded of his talent with a variety of instruments and as a radio host, for his love of jazz, as a thriller author, a private detective, his name holding a place in the Guinness Book of records for continuous playing of squash – 43 hours in all and as a patriot of this wonderful country of ours - Australia. This man known to us as Guy Grant, this fellow who once ran a health studio, a cosmetics factory and finally became a medical practitioner, was he an eccentric? No way – don't ask me to be the judge. I don't fancy swinging from the trees – as the man himself once said, "There's nothing wrong with being eccentric if you've always been eccentric. Without original thoughts, man would still be swinging from the trees." Thank the Lord for all the 'eccentrics' of this world.

We're not here to judge people – we're here to accept them for what they are - to learn from them by listening & hearing but not necessarily having to agree with them, to allow the knowledge they bring to help us, to help ourselves to grow – all who knew Guy Grant grew as people and became more equipped to deal with life.

This man, Sydney born, came to Tasmania to live, bringing to us his own unique personality – he shared with us his caring nature, his love for his country, his humour and his abundance of skills and knowledge. Guy Grant lived his life his way – along the way, friends and perhaps sometimes even enemies were made (especially those Hawk supporters of 1975 – the Final score being the Roos 19.8 122 to the Hawks 9.13 67) – he was different, a truly unique character – this world surely must be a better place for having known him. To know him - made one think, made one reason, made one strive for better things – he was an inspirational person.

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Whatever Dr Guy Grant was, today we are simply saying farewell to a husband, father, grandfather and friend. We also give thanks for having known this unique man and for the great contribution he made to our world.

There is no doubt that wherever Dr Guy Grant is today – he is making a lasting impression.

Guy loved being in the company of lots of people – he'd be busy making new friends – playing his collection of instruments, (perhaps even annoying some of these new found friends, just a little) – and there's one thing we must not forget "That CV of Doctor Guy Grant's was once six pages in small type" – there's no question about it – it is now just a little longer, he'd not forget, he'd be adding that final page. We can but imagine what it reads and there's no "maybe", one day when we're all together again Guy will surely let us know what it says.