VALE Tassie Coulson

[Robert W Moult]

Well my dear "brother" Tassie, we shared a cabin for four years at Nirimba and then went to sea together and we went on many, many "runs" but after 1968 we saw each other only occasionally. Then just before last Christmas we met up again for an hour or so and had a few beers; I now wish I'd kept in closer contact old mate but if there is a better place, Ihope you are there and maybe you'll keep a place next to you, for me. Not that I want "full time" blown on me just yet but I'm going to try and live what life I have left to the fullest.

See you soon Tas. (but not too soon).

Bob Moult

[Pony]

I remember "Tassie " from Nirimba and we also served together as ships company at Nirimba on a shore posting in later years. Hell of a nice guy, far to young to start this final journey.

Fair winds and a following sea wherever you travel, Tassie, and my sympathies to your loved ones.

Pony

[Hippy Chippy]

I’m in the process of putting together a photo story (time-lined slide show) on
DVD that can be played at Tassie’s funeral next Tuesday, along the lines of the
simple animated .gif in my earlier posts, but with heaps more photos, looped and
set to appropriate music…

Could I please ask each of you to go through your photo collections and e-mail
me any photos of Gary you may have … ?

I’d be particularly interested in any old photos taken during his time at HMAS
Nirimba, but also from any occasion since…

Thanks everyone, if you can send them to me at: roman27@tpg.com.au

Obviously, time is of the essence, but let’s send Tassie off with a real show…!

BTW, there's a funny story attached to this photo that Ned just sent me, showing
(l-r) me, Ned and Tassie from our 13th MOBI Intake 'Pacific Sky' Cruise in '03...



On P&O cruises, you don't use cash, you use electronic cards that have been
pre-credited with your own money, thereafter, anything you buy, it's 'Thank
you, Sir Warrick...' or 'Thank you, Sir Gary...' You feel quite regal...!!!

As usual Tassie and I were sharing a cabin, (which also shows up when they
swipe your card,) and Ned and Tassie beat me to 'The Rainbow Bar'...

By the time I arrived, I asked the lovely bar girl for my usual ouzo and coke,
offering over my card, but she replied:

"It's O.K. Sir Warrick, your Father, Sir Gary, already bought you one...!"

[Peter Hibbert]

Farewell old friend!
My friendship with Tas goes back to before our pussers time. He and I were sea cadets in HMAS Huon at Hobart for 3 years or so before I joined Nirimba in the 12th Intake. Tas came along in the 13th.
We also marched in Hobart on some Anzac days long after our navy days were over. His health was starting to go even then- mid '90's.
In all that time though, he never changed within himself. He never had any pretenses, and was always a bit of a larikin. I remember once in Hobart, one Christmas, all the Hobartian MOBIs had had a few (too many) in the Black Prince in Elizabeth St. Afterwards we were walking through the city when we saw Santa in the shopping center. Tassy went up to him and sat on his knee, put his arm around his neck and whispered something in his ear- except that it ended in a huge beer burp. Santa leapt to his feet in disgust and flung Tassy off and onto the floor. We cried laughing and it made our whole leave. Tas was the only one who would do that, and it is the sort of thing he would do.
Rest in Peace old friend!
Peter Hibbert. 12th MOBI Intake.

BTW Rick,
I thought you might like to add this photo of Tassy, me and Ian D'Emden marching in Hobart on Anzac day 1988.
You can see me, the big ugly brute, back left, with the beard, just below the bloke in the dark jacket with sunglasses, Tassy to my left (as we are marching), and demo next to him.
Pete H.

[wdmidge]

Glad to have known you Tassy. Midge of jan 63 mob.

[Hippy Chippy]

I’m in the process of putting together a photo story (time-lined slide show) on
DVD that can be played at Tassie’s funeral next Tuesday, along the lines of the
simple animated .gif in my earlier posts, but with heaps more photos, looped and
set to appropriate music…
Could I please ask each of you to go through your photo collections and e-mail
me any photos of Gary you may have … ?
I’d be particularly interested in any old photos taken during his time at HMAS
Nirimba, but also from any occasion since…
Thanks everyone, if you can send them to me at: roman27@tpg.com.au
Obviously, time is of the essence, but let’s send Tassie off with a real show…!

Following up on my request for photos of Gary for the ‘PhotoStory’ for his
funeral on Tuesday, you can stop looking…

Fellow 13th Intake MOBI and Taswegian, Ian 'Demo' D'Emden informs me,
that in anticipation of the events that have unfolded over the past week, Gary
had produced his OWN ‘PhotoStory’, and as it was he who introduced me to
the concept/ software a few years back at our reunion on the Gold Coast, I can
only assume he would have been the consummate perfectionist in preparing
his own…!

(On top of that, Tassie would have had access to a wealth of pre- and post-Navy
photos that would have put the 25 pics that Ned, Peter Hibbert and I managed to
put together to shame… I look forward to seeing his handiwork on Tuesday…)

Realising most of you won’t make it to his funeral, I put the 25 pics of Gary we’ve
collected into the presentation below for you…



Take care out there… Tassie reminds us, we’re no longer 19 and bullett-proof…

[Hippy Chippy]

Perhaps an image that should have been included in the slide show of
larrakin Tassie is the one below, from Sandy Freeleagus' book 'The MOBI'...

I can vouch for the fact that it was Tassie who convinced me to keep my
eyes averted and my weight on the rudder of The MOBI Yacht 'Nirimba'
while he proceeded to arc-weld the steel 'horseshoe' heels of my heavy
boots to the steel plate of the rudder... right on knock off time...!!!

[Peter Corran]

R.I.P Tassie. I remember you well old son. No more pain.

Peter (Pom) Corran

[PopR]

RIP Couls.

Many a beer and pool at the Empire and Waratah in Hobart. Recall being his taxi at least once to get him to the ferry as beginning of reunion attendance.

Unfortunately due to ill health probably won't make service but will remember.

PopR

[Hippy Chippy]

You can rest assured that Tassie was farewelled in style Pop, by a strong
contingent of his local friends along with (seated in the front row pew in the slide
show below, from left to right,) myself, Gary's ex-wife Robin, then other fellow
13th MOBI Intake classmates, Greenie Ian 'Demo' D'Emden, then Chippies
Bob 'Geordie' Moult, Frank Eastwell and John 'Ned' Kelly, with Gary's close
friends Alistair, Tony and Bill seated in the pew behind us...



We met a number of the attendees and realised that whilst Tassie had
suffered ill-health for some yesars, he'd surrounded himself with caring friends,
dedicated to seeing him out as peacefully as possible under the circumstances...

The service was presided over by Chaplain/ Padre, Canon Charles Fehre with
both Geordie and I called up to the pulpit to recall and share our 'Tassie' tales,
followed by his RSL friend Tony Scott (Army), who delivered the Eulogy, a fine
send off...

Clearly Gary knew he was dying, yet he slipped away from the respite centre
the day before he died to share a sherbet and to tell his friends in the
pub not to bother dropping in on him the following day...!

He'd organised his final affairs very well, which included putting together the
five minute PhotoStory played at his funeral, capturing his transition through
life on video, settling up his estate to include a whole bunch of money put on
the bar for those attending his wake...!
Very thoughtful Tassie, old mate... Way to go...!!!

Whilst the few days in Hobart we very pleasant under the sad circumstances,
with Ned, Frank, Geordie and I enjoying the local hosptality, staying at ex-Navy
Beagle Rod Stokoe's Hotel Shamrock in the heart of Hobart, we all agreed that
flying all round Australia for funerals for our buddies could get fairly expensive at
our stage of life, so we resolved to only hold one per year...

With a bit of luck, with the 68 of us left in the 13th MOBI Intake, it won't be my
turn until 2078...!