MEMORIES OF JACK

Written by his Mum, Dad, girlfriend and friends

Jack spent the first 18 months of his life attached to his mums hip, so much so that she had to cook, clean and even get dressed one handed! To say he was clingy was an understatement! Even as a young child Jack was kind and thoughtful, one Christmas when he was 6 or 7 he had a big box all wrapped up and before he had even opened it to know what was inside he said ‘It's just what I wanted!’ and gave his mum and dad a big kiss. That was Jack always thinking of others feelings first-he never changed.

But of course when Jack was little he WAS Batman. He was always wearing his Batman outfit and truly thought when he was older he would move to Gotham City and become the real Batman.

Jack was always popular and had lots of friends but two of his first friends were Bradley and Lino.

Bradley lived in the same street and they have been friends all their lives. Bradley said ‘Jack was always up for adventure and we shared so many unforgettable moments together’ Jack was due to be best man at Bradley's wedding in July, he had even agreed to wear a suit! Jack was always there to help with anything, including ripping out the whole of Bradley's garden in his new house. This was a theme that continued as Jack had just started to help Ross in his new garden.

Lino and Jack have also been friends since 4 years old and stayed lifelong friends, sharing an interest in motorbikes as 16 year olds which steadily grew bigger and faster. We had no idea Jack did any more than pottering around at 30mph…..we have since been enlightened! Jack started guitar lessons here at St.Lawrences primary school and continued playing throughout his life, mostly teaching himself he progressed onto the bass guitar. Music was a great passion for him, not only did he play in bands and go to music festivals with his friends he also composed music and played different instruments.

Jack made up for his clinginess as a baby by becoming very independent, doing everything his own way. Jack enjoyed individual sports where he had nobody to hold him back! He passed his PADI scuba diving exam at the age of 11. The oxygen tank was nearly the same size and weight of him so he had to have help carrying it!

At around the same time Jack started skiing, he loved it and was totally fearless, but you wouldn't see Jack going down a black slope, oh no that would be too tame for Jack he would be flying down off piste next to it- terrifying his dad!

Jack’s friends would often stay at his house at the weekends and his dad always thought of them as little soldiers all sleeping in a line downstairs in Jack’s den. The reality was that after he was asleep they would climb out of the window and ride around Sunbury on their bikes for hours, never getting into any trouble mind you, just boys growing up and having fun. Ross has said these are some of the best times he had with Jack and he admired Jack for his fearlessness and sense of adventure.

Jack always thought of the window as his front door.... and so did his friends. We would often see heads bopping past the kitchen window en route to Jack's den. Camping was another thing Jack enjoyed, from when he was around 7 and there were 10 dads and 25 kids all camping to more recent years when Jack and his friends Matt, Mike, Ross and Bradley would go camping either at music festivals, or just for the fun of it.

Jack worked for the past 4 years as a gardener at two lovely gardens that he took great pride in. He enjoyed inventing easier ways to kill weeds, generally involving sharp pointy tools and flame throwers!

Both his employers held Jack in high regard and described him as kind and conscientious. This is where Jack had to make the hard decision to switch the motorbike for a car as he realised there was only a certain amount of gardening equipment he could fit on his motorbike, he gave it a good try though, who knew you could attach a rake to a motorbike!

Jack then met Manon a few years ago and they have lived together for the past 18 months. Manon carried on the hard job of trying to get Jack to eat vegetables, she actually succeed in disguising spinach in pasta once, but mainly Jack lived on pizza, burgers and tomato ketchup. Him and his dad even had a regular dinner out together with the aim of finding the the best burger in town! Going back to the ketchup, upon meeting more of Jack's friends I have learnt that I was not the only one who would have to go on the dreaded ketchup hunt in Jack’s den!

Jack was unique, authentic and had a heart of gold, knowing when Manon needed a kiss on the head or just a cup of tea. She has said ‘without hesitation Jack was always there for me, he made me feel like I was home’.

Although Jack always had a passion for sharp pointy things, In recent years he discovered a passion for making knifes, again all self taught, and he actually succeeded in convincing Manon to let him turn their living room into a workshop!

So many people here have seen Jack grow from a small boy with a cheeky smile, to an adventurous teenager into a kind, creative adult with so many talents. Jack had so much love in his life and he touched so many hearts. He will be missed every second of every day and will continue to be loved forever.

We could go on forever talking about Jack, but Jack would be horrified by all this attention, so i will stop there.

Thank You.