KEIRAN SPEED - A TRIBUTE
By Tim Read
The spinning wheels of memory in the mind
Are playing images of an absent friend we can no longer find,
And of happier times we hoped would never end,
But now have ended taking with them our dearest friend,
Our extraordinary friend, the Skipper, Keiran Michael Speed,
Larrikin, prankster, champion, gentleman and consummate friend in need.
Evolved from sand and surf, Bondi Beach born and bred,
Tempered to perfection in his father’s gym and by all his father said,
A sportsman and competitor without peer, he ran so swiftly
He did the city to surf in less minutes than his age of fifty,
And on the rugby union field of play, his talents were so fine
He scored East’s grand final winning try in nineteen sixty-nine.
And though his triumphs on track and field will always stand,
Nothing compared to his friendship and ever helping hand.
Family, and the Club he called his family, drove his heartbeat,
In this respect, he set the standards we all try to meet.
The Skipper was his name and rightful title within the Club,
An icon and an ornament to its history which was his hub,
As constant in his friendship as the surf is to the beach
Generous to a fault: his help was never out of reach,
And unlike some whose modesty suits their talents well,
The Skipper was a champion for reasons he would never tell,
But all the stories and legends are true and can’t be set aside,
And so we gather here today to pay our respects with pride,
Each in our own way and with our memories intact,
Celebrating his fine and fulfilled life as a treasured fact.
Farewell Keiran Speed, go to your rest,
You were, without a doubt, the very best.
An inspiration who graced this space,
And made the world a better place.
109
117TH ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT 2023/24