DO YOU WANT TO PLAY AGAIN?

Howard Francis Carew may have
passed,
But he is still
present
to me!

He could be as stubborn as a ‘ol goat,
Yet he could be as playful as a kitten.

Sometimes tense and stressed,
Sometimes content and blessed.

Unwineding in front of QandA,
He participated in democracy and had his say,
He joined Civil Liberties as freedom is The Way,
He stood up when many sat down to chatter,
Complaining that their views don’t matter.

Yet he would cast another vote in his
Letters to The Editor at the Canberra Times,
Stirring opinion pieces and comments
tackling social justice issues with a conscience vote.

For this was his Question Time in the Parliament of public opinion raising issues…

Examples:

• He found the light rail heavily indebted running down side tracks.
• Social housing was sold off lock stock and barrel as privatisation profits over public spending ignoring those most in need, 
  Such is the greed,
  For the right to housing is auctioned off  
  to bleed the highest bidder not the most needy to consider!  
  He suggested long term land ownership as collateral for a house and prohibited profiting by resale.
• The Australian Defence Association took offense as he called out their humbug, inaction, misogyny and indefensible, filming of an ADFA female cadet.
• He writes of Trump flattering Scomo as a Titanium Man.  He agreed, defining titanium as low-density, highly corrosion-resistant
  low weight and just the politician to go to war over Saudi Arabia. 
• When it comes to Aged Care he said our politicians see no evil, hear no evil and say no evil – as denial is not a river in Egypt!
  Come the next election candidates spruik their wares – who cares?
  He grows weary asking pollies what they personally tried to do to rectify the cruel treatment of our senior citizens.

For when Howard witnessed the rorting, deception, corruption and cruel treatment he stood up to be counted!

Whether you like him or not,
Agree or disagree,
He stirs so you take a position with a decision,
He stood his ground believing he was right,
Freedom of speech was his journalistic plight,
For democracy dies when good people say nothing.

He played the game of chance and took risks,
He believed in playing the winning game,
Yet laying his cards on the table for all to see,
He understood the strategic lay of the land,
He took a gamble when the chips were down,
He won the argument putting highly paid barristers to shame in dishonest games,
As he was bowling for those hard done by,
He was bridging the gap by lending a hand,
He was dependable and solid,
He was a friend in times of need.

He didn’t like bullies on the take,
To fight fair was his name sake,
And loyalty was his shield at Carew Castle
as he equalised the playing field,

Standing up for truth against the odds,
He got a hole in one!
Was that luck or skill?
Or his eye on the ball?
He was real!

All for one and one for all was his call,
For he was a knight in shining armour,
Taking his seat at King Arthur’s Roundtable.

In this life he made his own way,
His Irish eyes were smiling,
A linotype operator setting the print at the Canberra Times
one word at a time,
To one day write in print about the times in Canberra.

He was no fool,
He didn’t always play by the rules,
He was playing his own game.

A driving instructor at Abbey Driving School,
Guiding road rules with duel controls,
A patient teacher he was no  preacher,
Patiently directing you drive in the right gear.

A printer and graphic designer self-taught,
He made muster in colour or lack lustre, plain, glossy or buff,
Rapid Print in ink to Apple Graphics in digital,
As the printing press gave way to bits & bytes
from communication to information technology,
The tradesman must become the technocrat!

In the end he began to comprehend,
The real lay of the land was to look again,
To discover the great Australian heart land,
For the land is our family,
Carew means Fort on the Hill,
As the one name bestows the motto
‘I Hope Well’

The coat of arms symbolises to take a higher perspective in the flow of life,
To see further than self-interest is the kite,

He became more introspective to in-sight,
He was loyal
…to the end,
He was royal
… a true friend,
As he castled the last chess piece,
His last move was classic,
He went to bed to rest his head,
Albeit to rest in peace,
To awaken to his family all around him,
To finally meet his long lost father,
To discover it is not game over.

God says …
Do You Want to Play Again Howie?

How could he refuse to take another chance on romance,
For life in essence is the love song and the love story of heart break or glory,
And death is a cover story for a renewable life.

So we close the book now on his final chapter,
A Chapter Three Court of Human Rights,
To discover claiming the right to be human is to care and share,
And this is what in the end
Advances Australia Fair.

I love you dad!