Barnet Craig Kenneth
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 25-9-1951 |
| Date of death | 21-10-2008 |
Please click here for photos of Craig Barnet.
Craig Barnet memories from his daughter Nicki
Craig Barnet was a loving father to Nicki and James and happily married to Maxine for 29 years.
Many consider him to be the best looking of the Barnet boys and by all accounts he was a bit of a catch back in the day! He loved Gawler and dedicated his life to making The Bunyip family newspaper a success until it was sold in 2003.
Craig had a passion for history and enjoyed a magical 50th birthday with close friends and family at Lochleven Castle in Scotland.
Together Maxine and Craig built their dream home in the middle of 14 acres on top of a hill at Evanston Heights above the Gawler Racecourse. It was a beautiful bluestone villa with a 500 metre driveway leading up to the house with views that stretched across Gawler and out to Adelaide. He used to walk down the driveway with his Jack russells to get the paper each morning, and wind down in the afternoons after work reading his books and listening to the 5aa sports show in the formal lounge as the afternoon sun streamed in.
Craig was a talented sportsman, businessman, wonderful company at a dinner party or bar, and a great dad and husband but sadly he battled “the black dog” for much of his adult life. Nicki’s eulogy:
I found out the most horrifying news you could ever possibly hear when I was on the other side of the world. Reality didn’t really set in until I was clearing out the inbox of my phone at the London airport… and I started reading text messages from dad… LOVED YOUR REPORT, EVEN LIKED THE PORT GUERNSEY!... 9.9 OUT OF TEN…. EXCELLENT STORY..... If I heard from him after the news each night I knew I’d done a pretty good job at work that day.
It was then that I absolutely broke down and lost it. It hit me there would be no more text messages, no more advice on how to cope in the cut-throat world I was in, and no more unwavering support at whatever crazy idea I’d come up with that week.
The reason I wanted to become a journo in the first place is because of how proud I was of dad when I was growing up. There was nothing better than walking through the Bunyip knowing all the staff, and them knowing that I was Craig’s daughter. I loved running up the Bunyip stairs and looking at the funny photos behind dad’s desk. I loved looking through the book’s containing old copies of the Bunyip, I loved watching how fast dad typed, and I loved going into the Bunyip on weekends helping him develop photos the old fashioned way. There was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a journalist like him, even if it wasn’t in newspapers.
Dad never pushed James or I into anything, I don’t think I’ve ever received a lecture about boys or alcohol or driving to fast… he’d just shudder at the thought of it all, and out of respect we’d try and do the right thing.
Although he never preached, dad chipped in with little bits of advice every now and then that looking back always ended up being spot on. He’d come up with thoughtful ways to help… even though at the time it didn’t seem like he was.
I’ll always remember the time he rang me out of the blue when I was at uni, and suggested that I start writing a column for the Bunyip about interesting old people that lived in Gawler. As you can imagine as a teenager it wasn’t the most enticing offer I’d ever had, infact I thought it sounded like a stuped idea, but I did it… and ended up with a great resume, and learnt a great deal about how to get good answers out of people.
There was never any praise or special treatment the times I did work at the Bunyip. I remember how furious I was when I turned up one day in short shorts that he didn’t think were appropriate. I was sent, begrudgingly, down the main street to buy a skirt…. Again, another annoying but important lesson.
James and I also have fond memories of heading to the football with dad when we were young. In between collecting empty cans and walking out to the quarter time huddles with dad, we’d drag anyone we could into the Gawler Central clubrooms to show them the picture of him on the wall. I was so proud… I didn’t know any one else who’s dad had their picture on the wall.
James says he used to gaze up at Dad’s A-grade best and fairest photo and dream that one-day he would achieve what dad had.
James and dad shared many similarities… When James was in high school, he was a lot smaller than the rest of the kids and was sometimes left out of football teams due to his size. Dad experienced the exact same treatment when he was growing up, and in James’s words, “was an unbelievable support” at the time, telling James to keep at it because his time would eventually come.
Once again dad’s advice proved spot on. Eventually James did catch up to the rest of the kids, and finished his high school years with a premiership for Gawler Centrals.
Another fond memory James has is when dad coached his Under 16 cricket team. Like me, he didn’t receive any special treatment, he just knew there was unconditional support. Of course, the team had an amazing year, winning the premiership… success seemed to follow dad wherever he went.
James also remembers a father/son footy trip when he was about 12 or 13. Everyone camped out in tents near a lake in Barmera…. That is everyone EXCEPT dad. In the morning when most people were grumbling about the uncomfortable night’s sleep they’d had, he emerged fresh and cleanly shaven from his hotel room across the road… Dad always did enjoy the finer things in life.
Even though I never played footy, it didn’t take long until I was beating dad on the tennis court. In the end he’d resort to pulling his shorts down and doing silly dances to try and put me off… once the laughter died down I’d still beat him.
He didn’t come to the tennis tournaments I played in because he just couldn’t bare to watch… it was to nerve racking for him sitting on the sidelines. He wouldn’t have been able to bare it if anyone happened to cheat or abuse his daughter… he was just too much of a big softy at heart.
I think this is part of the reason why life was sometimes a struggle for him… when you are a kind, and generous and sensitive person, you think more deeply about things. The cruel things that people do, the injustice in the world grates on you a little more, and it’s harder to shrug it off and forget about it.
When I asked Murray my boyfriend if there’s anything he’d like to add about dad, he said simply Craig was a second father. Dad introduced him to the “finer things in life”… red wine, olives, art and he was working on the history. He also went to more of Murray’s football matches than I’ve ever been to.
Dad’s quirky sense of humour was also unique.… I still laugh about the time he put on his most serious voice, and told a friend of mine who was sleeping over one Saturday night “Make sure you’re up bright and early for Church tomorrow morning…” the shocked look on her face was priceless… she just didn’t know dad well enough.
I loved it when dad dropped by and visited the house we are renovating in Adelaide. We’d always have something new to show him and he’d just stand back admiring whatever recent work Murray had done… the water feature, the chandeliers, the fireplace… He was so impressed…. perhaps it was because his handyman skills weren’t up the top of his list of talents.
Sadly I wont be able to tell dad about the trouble I found myself in after a visit to an Amsterdam coffee shop… I wont get the chance to tell him how much I loved Paris. He wont role his eyes when he finds out we didn’t visit all the castles in Scotland he loves so much.
Worst still he wont be there on my wedding day… whenever that may be.
But James and I love dad as much as ever, we’ll just have to be a little stronger now.
References
Memories of Barnet Craig Kenneth
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