Third Night

Hi, my name is Dean, best friend of Barry, de facto brother of Steve and Gregy and practically adopted son of Vonny and Felix.

And yes, it was me who upon arriving at the Sher household for the first time, was tied up at the feet, bound at the hands, gagged at the mouth, placed in a stress position and forced to divulge “where were the Americans”.

Two days ago, on Sunday 11 January, when we lay our son, brother, partner and friend to rest, my best mate Baz asked the question “why did Dean keep coming back to the Sher household?”. He said that it was because at the end of the ordeal (which I thought I had suppressed) Greg would have a giggle, give a warm cuddle and we would walk off into the sunset. This is very true, however there is more. The reason I came back time and time again was to immerse myself, to immerse myself in the playfulness, warmth, love and care of Yvonne, Felix, Steve, Greg and Barry.

As we have witnessed in the last few days Greg touched the lives of thousands of people in the short time that he spent with us. We know from the hundreds of stories, letters, emails, sms’s and facebook posts that Greg was a hero, a role model, a generous, courageous, self determined and motivating individual who had the time of day for anyone, for everyone.

So where did Greg derive his strength, his compassion, his drive, his love for his country? Who taught Greg the values for which he stood for – honour, integrity, mutual respect and unwavering persistence? Who were his role models? Who were his heroes? It was his parents Yvonne and Felix and his brothers Steven and Barry. I think we can all learn a lot from this truly inspirational Jewish family, the Shers.

Finally, Vonny and Felix, I’d like to re-assure you that your son Gregy lives on. Greg lives on in his brothers, in his cousins, in his friends, in their children and in their future children. Greg will always be a part of us and we will always be around you.