 |
 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 | ||
A tribute to Art Browne
The architects of Sunrise Cricket Club had a certain vision about who could be an ideal leader for this club and they elected Art Browne although he had no knowledge of cricket or background in leading any amateur sports club. Despite all these odds, he took on the job and simply installed the necessary framework to build a club where integrity and character development would flourish. Most of the first generation members in this club were from a blue collar environment and as such had rather brash in their approach and functioning. Art Browne was tough and simply arrested such tendencies from individuals, at the same time instilled new parameters of behavior and responsibility. With these refreshing changes in place, the club began functioning smoothly with all around fairness. Thus, it was no surprise how well the team played in the ground and how well the members carried themselves in the immediate cricketing community. The respect and reputation was multiplying at the end of each season. The results on the field became astounding and the team always had a single voice in all its communications. In March 2001 Art Browne was daignosed with terminal brain cancer. Most of the club members were in a state of shock and disbelief. Also, he being the president of Custom Leather Inc. knew the news was not only a distastrous on a personal level, to himself, his family and friends but also to his company staff and the cricket club. There are very few men who would not crumble in confronting such a harsh reality, he was one of them. I met him at his work soon after his initial diagnosis and found him to be in modest but in death defying spirits. I went to console him but found him consoling me. Then after his first surgery, I heard that he was humoring all those to who came to visit him at the hospital and later in a general meeting with all his employees, where he chose crack the wildest of jokes and simply refused to submit to any solemn situations created by the serioius ailment. That is where it hit me about his spiritual superiority. Art Browne was not especially religious but I felt in my heart, "this man is spiritual!". Sunrise Cricket Club continued to receive his leadership despite his every deteriorating condition. He made it a point to come from most home games, helped us resolve delicate issues with league politics, individual moral boosting, adminisrative chores and what not. Lastly helped us, inspired us to win almost every cricket tournament that happened in 2001 and 2002. It was his secret strength, his hidden hand in our wining the 2002 Canadian Championship. These are the qualities of a strong man, the real man who can remain selfless in the face of definite death. -- It is the ultimate charity to take initiative and perform a wholehearted service in an activity that has no bearing whatsover on the personal, religious, business or any recreational interests of an individual. For Sunrise Cricket Club, Art Browne was such a chartiable individual. After witnessing such a superhuman in close quarters, after basking in a glory projected through his ideals, this club has found the standards sound enough to be carried hereafter towards making new history, each season, in each cricket match. I am confident, in the hearts of Sunrise CC members and after understanding what is the spirit of Art Browne, we all shall conduct ourselves for club activities in a manner befitting as a unified tribute to his memory and legacy. modestly, Raghu Peddada |
||
|
Copyright © Waterloo Sunrise Cricket Club. All Rights Reserved. |