Paddling WIth Craig

Craig was one of the most energetic and generous people I knew.  He was always on the go often doing things for others. 

I first met him a dozen or more years ago when I took up sea kayaking.  He very generously helped me build my first kayak which was done in one of the sheds on his and Desley’s Pelverata farm.  The process of building the kayak with Craig demonstrated many of his attributes.  It was built efficiently, no mucking around, straight into it but with the process well thought through, and the end product may have been a little rough around the edges but like Craig it proved an efficient economical machine.  The kayak has served me well. 

Craig also gave generously of his time to teaching me and many others the skills necessary for sea kayaking.  I particularly remember a couple of night time paddles with Craig on the D’Entrecasteuax Channel ending up camping on Snake Island.  On one of these, a navigational exercise,  we had a trip north from Gordon under a very dark sky, no moon or stars and eventually we navigated our way to Snake Island where before long, Craig had served up hot golden syrup dumplings to warm us up. 

Craig also attacked with vigour many a Spanish heath plant on Snake Island on numerous working bees and the number of weeds that Craig cut, pulled or poisoned around the state probably ran into the millions.  He did an enormous amount of environmental work.

Craig always had a laugh and a grin on his face.  The only time I remember him not laughing was one evening when he ran into me while I was walking home up  the Rivulet Track.  While he pushed his bike and told me of his latest pedalling adventure to France, he begged me not to make him laugh as he thought had had a broken rib after a recent mountain bike fall,  though after chatting with for a while he still had the energy to hop on his bike and cycle home to Pelverata.

A man of endless energy, purpose and open friendliness, Craig will be missed by many.

Mike Comfort