Eulogy 23 - John Patrick (Johnny) Hardwick (1947-2023)
Eulogy 23 - John Patrick (Johnny) Hardwick (1947-2023 (Written by Warren Maloney on 30th March 2023) Almost with each season now (because of our Age), we are saying goodbye to mates and family members. Of course, it doesn't get easier as we are also saying goodbye to part of ourselves. I first met Johnny in Grade 4 at SBC - almost 66 years ago. Our friendship times ebbed and flowed and we caught up again in Rotary and through Business and AFL teams before the frequent chats in Retirement and during COVID. In my mind, he changed little and was a reminder of the constancy of values and lifestyle that we left behind in Essendon. But John had a special quality of making/keeping friends no matter what they did - priests to criminals, Catholic devotees to radical lefties, even Carlton or Collingwood supporters. Skin colour mattered nothing. Gender understanding became much better with the aging of his 4 daughters and learning from their views/experiences. He was a glass 3/4s...