By Sheree Hoddinett
They are the leading men in most of our lives. Dad, daddy, father, papa, old man, whatever you choose to call the person who fulfills that patriarchal role in your life, it’s time to celebrate them! Father’s Day is just around the corner (September 3 in case you need reminding), a day where we shower them in gifts of socks, undies, cute drawings/craft pieces, photos, chocolate and maybe a terrible ‘dad’ joke or two.
Once again, I put the call out to the community to see if there were any amazing dads out there and here are just a few of the stories.
Melissa Phillips
My father Barry Bohlscheid has amazingly survived raising six daughters - with the help of his wonderful wife (my mum) Robyn. Between him and his brother Max, they had 11 daughters and funnily enough owned hardware stores. The daughters all learnt to cut keys and tint paint. Having 11 daughters between them now means their surname in Australia ends.
Bribie Island has a special place in my dad’s heart as his grandmother lived there (the house right near Saviges) and he spent many days on the Island as a kid which would one day lead to buying a beach shack at Woorim.
Just over six years ago Barry (known as BB to all the grandkids) suffered a heart attack and needed a quadruple bypass. He has had a second lease on life and lives it to the fullest at his home, beautiful Bribie Island! A very brave man indeed!! We nearly lost him six years ago and he made a miraculous recovery and he has become one of my best friends.
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Sam Bell
When it comes to recognising dads out there - I think my husband is a pretty amazing Dad! We have two boys who both play for the Bribie Tigers.
Last year, our youngest son was in a team with no coach. Stuart (my husband) stepped up to the plate and became a coach for their team. While he loves his soccer this was way out of his comfort zone, but he did it because his son needed him!
I should mention he also attends EVERY training session of our eldest son - every Monday and Wednesday he is there, helping to guide him and encourage him.
This year, he resumed his position as coach at the club and became manager of our eldest's team. Not only that, when the president of the soccer club stepped down and there was nobody else to take on the role, Stuart stepped up yet again. He is now the club president of the Bribie Tigers, dedicating every weekend and most of his spare time to help the club flourish for the remainder of the season. I think he's a hero!
…..
While I certainly can’t miss the opportunity to recognise my own father, who has been an amazing dad (he may or may not say otherwise, just kidding dad!), there is another man in my life I want to pay homage to. My partner Wayde not only has three children of his own, but he also takes the time to act as a bonus parent to my own two daughters, who many of you may recognise as the cute bunnies we featured at Easter time. Between us we have five children aged from seven to 15 (four of them girls!) and I can say that when we’re all together things can get quite full on – both in noise and attitude – at our house, but Wayde takes it all in his stride – most of the time anyway!
There is so much that he does and all on top of running his full-time business. From fixing bikes to sharing dad jokes, setting up for our family nights in front of the firepit, putting a band aid on a scraped knee, joining in on girly giggles and just being there for a hug when needed. He may not see himself as the perfect dad, but I think he does a pretty good job!
The team at The LOCAL wish all the dads (or soon-to-be dads) out there and those who take on the role in any shape or form, a very Happy Father’s Day.
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