Thanks Dad and all the father figures this Father’s Day.
On Sunday we celebrate the fathers, grandfathers, uncles, step-fathers and the many male role models in our lives for all they have done and continue to do for us!
This week I’m honouring my Dad, the person who has been the most influential figure in my life. My Dad, Randall Burow has not only shaped me to be the person I am today, he is the person who immediately comes to mind whenever asked to reflect on a person I look up to or admire most.
My earliest memories of Dad include walks through town and along the river bank in Goondiwindi, weekend trips out to the Common and sitting on Dad’s lap to drive on the dirt road, being taught to play tennis and kick the footy on the school oval, rescuing and rehabilitating injured galahs we found on our walks around town, annual Easter camping trips to Girraween National Park, bushwalking, bird watching and climbing granite boulders, family holidays to Mooloolaba and rum ‘n’ raisin ice cream becoming my favourite flavour from five years of age (because it was Dad’s too), our year in Canada when I was seven and Dad snowploughing a skating rink on the frozen lake we lived on and then canoeing and fishing on it in summer, reading The Hobbit together, and secretly buying two pet mice for my brother and I and trying to hide them from Mum in the garden shed. He always valued the outdoors and the importance of spending quality time as a family. Values that he has instilled in me from a young age.
I’m proud to say that education is in my genes. My Dad and his father before him began their teaching careers as Principals of one teacher schools in their early twenties. Both taking on the additional challenge of doing so in rural towns in the Wide Bay Burnett, Darling Downs South West and Central Queensland regions. It’s not the role of ‘Principal’ that my Dad influenced me with, instead, I grew up to value and love the connections, camaraderie and sense of community a school and its rural community brings. His longest Principalship was when he opened Mountain Creek State School on the Sunshine Coast in 1994 where he remained for 12 years before retiring at the age of 55. The year following his retirement he travelled Australia in a campervan with my brother who had recently graduated high school. On his return he was employed by the Sunshine Coast University as a lecturer in the Education faculty. He continued his passion and ongoing love of education leading him to work as a consultant with ISQ’s school improvement team coaching and mentoring new Principals and their leadership teams. He was a highly sought after mentor and in years gone by had up to 10 schools he was working with across south-east QLD. Retirement didn’t slow him down, in fact it put a different spring in his step which is something I greatly admire. Not that I am wishing the years away, but remaining youthful and active is inspiring. Over the past 20 years his list of hobbies have included, bush walking, camping, guitar and art classes, meditation and of course his love for cooking, the Brisbane Broncos and listening to Blues music.
A diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2020, prostatectomy and radiation slowed him down a little but didn’t stop him. At 73 years of age he continues his ritual of morning Mooloolaba beach swims and coffee at DeJaVu, art lessons, tennis games, trips to ukulele festivals and the Gympie Music Muster, cheering on the Broncos as a season member and prioritising time to catch up with mates, send daily messages to family and weekly face time calls with his Grandkids. On Wednesday Dad completed seven weeks of daily radiation following an increase in PSA levels and coincidently, yesterday we supported Daffodil Day, raising funds for the Cancer Council a cause that is close to my heart.
I have always admired my Dad and his ability to see the positive in any situation along with a loud and boisterous laugh to boot. He never judges and always listens. He has taught me the importance of listening to understand, not to respond and the value of quality time to connect with family and loved ones. He reinforces the value that it’s not what we have in life that matters, but who we have in our life that matters. I am thankful for all my Dad has taught me and the lessons and love he has shown me and now my own children. The bond he has with my eldest son, Oliver in particular is so very strong and special. To hear Oliver refer to his Grandad (Dargee) as his best friend is heartwarming and brings a tear to my eye. We never know how long we have on earth and I will cherish the time we have together, especially this weekend with Mum and Dad in Rockhampton to celebrate Father’s Day as a family.
Thank you for being a great Dad!
Kara Krehlik
Principal