January 31, 2018
In an age where “millennials” as they are now fondly known, receive their fair share of unfavourable press, due to their reported oblivion to the world outside their own, it is always a good day when you can share a story which turns the tide.
Baxter Holt, is a young man from The Kings School, Sydney, who has been on the fringe of our life for many years. He and Cooper, had trialled side by side for representative cricket selection for many years, and had faced one another on the field on many occasions, throughout the Sydney GPS cricket competition. Coop’s big brother Mitch had also played against Baxter in the GPS competition.
But it was not Baxter’s outstanding achievements on the cricket field that find me writing this blog today, it was his caring, thoughtfulness, and his unsolicited kindness. Traits, which if you believe all that is written, are more often missing than not, in his generation.
Baxter took the time to write to Coop, when he was at his lowest ebb, after their school teams met on the field in the latter part of 2016. Cooper was struggling at this stage, as his cancer had metastasised to his right femur, and the pain of bowling was immense. He was however, hell-bent, on ensuring no-one outside the family knew. Baxter had no idea how serious Cooper’s condition was at the time, nor would he have known how much his words beautifully chosen words, meant to Coop, when he was so desperately in need of that random act of kindness. I have attached the link to the article written by Peter FitzSimons in his column The Fitz Files, (SMH) in which he writes of the this particularly meaningful gesture.
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/the-fitz-files/fitz-20170303-gupzp5.html
When it came time to choose the very important roles of CRBF Ambassadors, it became clear Baxter would the perfect choice. He embodies the unique spirit we envisage will be present in all we do in Cooper’s name, and the legacy he left behind.
Thank you Baxter for all you have done, and continue to do, for Cooper and his legacy. Your kindness will never be forgotten.