Royalty for Roy:Family,friends and former greats farewell Symonds

As Australian cricket royalty joined family and friends to honour Andrew Symonds,Ricky Ponting remembered the larger than life allrounder as a player who would do anything for his mates.

Tragically killed in a car crash earlier this month Symonds,affectionately known as “Roy”,was farewelled at a private service in Townsville on Friday before a public memorial at Riverway Stadium.

Former Australian wicketkeepers Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist remember Andrew Symonds.

Former Australian wicketkeepers Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist remember Andrew Symonds.Getty Images

Ponting,legendary wicketkeepers Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy,Ashes heroes Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee and former coach Darren Lehmann were among the cricketing greats joined by Queensland rugby league icons Darren Lockyer and Gorden Tallis.

Ponting lamented that Australian cricket had lost so many greats in a relatively short period of time,with Dean Jones,59,passing less than two years ago,followed by Rod Marsh,74,Shane Warne,52,and Symonds,46,inside three months.

“It’s been pretty tough for a lot of us,” Ponting said. “The cricket-loving public of Australia have had a pretty tough time.”

Cricket legend Andrew Symonds remembered in a memorial service in Townsville.

The former Australia captain lamented that he never spent enough time with Symonds away from cricket.

“That’s the game. The one tragedy with international cricket is that you spend ten months a year with these guys for ten,12,15 years,and then you finish playing ... and you just don’t see each other.

“Some of the biggest tragedies and life lessons for me are that I’m not that good with my phone staying in touch with people and contacting people. What’s happened over the last few months,certainly I’ve learnt a lot from that,and I think we’ll take it upon ourselves to make sure that we were spending more time together because you just never know what’s around the corner.

“We spent so many great days together on the field,but a lot of things you share off the field as well when you’re with these guys for so long.”

Symonds’ great mate from Queensland junior representative days through to playing for Australia together,Jimmy Maher,talked about a colourful and fun-loving character of contrasts.

A large crowd gathered for the Andrew Symonds memorial service in Townsville.

A large crowd gathered for the Andrew Symonds memorial service in Townsville.Getty

“He was fiercely loyal and suspicious,creative and humorous,unreliable and reliable at the same time,charming and abrupt,uncomplicated and yet complex,high maintenance and low maintenance all at once. That sums up Roy very well in every part of his life,” said Maher.

“When things weren’t going great he withdrew a bit and it was our job to say ‘we need to get you up’. The more he thought about things and deliberated the worse he was.”

Gilchrist described the private service as “just simply beautiful”.

“I’ve not seen a congregation be so moved,” he said. “It was full of sadness,but just such wonderful,beautiful memories of a guy that just gave so much of himself to so many people unconditionally.”

Andrew Symonds’ wife Laura with their daughter Chloe and son Will at the public memorial service at Riverway Stadium.

Andrew Symonds’ wife Laura with their daughter Chloe and son Will at the public memorial service at Riverway Stadium.Getty Images

Queensland and Australian teammate Matthew Hayden was unable to attend because of commentary commitments in the IPL but recorded a song highlighting Symonds’ love of family,cricket,rugby league and the great outdoors,which was played at the funeral.

“Haydos wrote the music,wrote the lyrics and sang it,” Gilchrist said. “It was magic. It encapsulated perfectly who Roy was.”

Gilchrist said the first thing he thinks of about Symonds is his commitment to team.

Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson were among the former teammates of Andrew Symonds to attend his memorial service.

Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson were among the former teammates of Andrew Symonds to attend his memorial service.Getty Images

Maher summed up the mood of the day,saying:“We’re all going to miss him whether it’s public,private,friends,family,it’s just never going to be the same without him not being around.”

Symonds is survived by wife Laura and children Chloe and Billy.

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Malcolm Conn is Chief Cricket Writer.

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