Eric

 Eric Van Oosten

From Tony Van Oosten(Spoken by Wayne Griffiths at the memorial)

I’d like to thank you all on behalf of Dad’s family in Australia. His wife Liz, daughter Rachel, his son in law Matthew, his daughter in law Bindy and his grandchildren Lily, William and Charlie.We all know he was very fortunate to have a great group of friends in Mui Wo and Pui O who loved and cared for him, but most importantly enjoyed his company. He always enjoyed a laugh, so while we all grieve, today should be a celebration of what a great bloke he was.My Dad lived a full and varied life. He met my mother Liz at The Cavern Club in Liverpool one lunchtime while The Beatles were playing around 1963.His Mum and Dad decided to move to Australia in 1964/65 and he reluctantly left England, my mother and his mates. My Mum left for Australia six months later.The family settled in Elizabeth which was a new suburb 30 minutes north of Adelaide in South Australia. It used to get so hot there in summer your feet would hurt just looking at the ground.Although qualified as a Quantity Surveyor his qualifications weren’t recognised in Australia so he got a job as a roof tiler.He eventually started his own roofing and building business.The morning he died and before I had heard the news I was thinking to myself what a wonderful childhood Rachel and I had and how lucky and thankful to Mum and Dad we are for that.We moved to Sydney in 1980 where he got into the investing business which led to his involvement in the Australian film industry.Dad left Australia in 1993 and lived in Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.In the early days before I was married I used to spend most of my holidays with him in Thailand. We had some epic times and I will be forever thankful for those memories. Sadly most of the guys he knew in Thailand have gone as well.There is so much fun, mischief and shenanigans to write about. Perhaps I’ll write a book one day about his life as it certainly wasn’t boring.We miss and love you Dad and you’re in our thoughts everyday.

You'll Never Walk Alone.

From Wayne Griffiths  (At the memorial)

It is an honour and privilege to pay tribute today to a very special person. remarkable in so many ways. He lived his life to the full and touched so many people during his time here with us. We all have a kaleidoscope of memories that we will always carry with us - memories that defined Eric, memories that we will always hold dear. As the kaleidoscope turns, I see Eric - my friend. He was a good friend to so many! He could be counted on and depended on always. Whether you needed sound counsel, an empathetic ear, a shoulder to lean on; companionable silence; a drinking buddy - he was your man. Ready, steadfast, willing and good fun. As I look out at the faces here in front of me, I see many, many friends and I know that they too will miss the friendship that Eric brought into their lives. I'm sure you all remember... My best mate Eric, who was always like a brother to me, passed away recently I was looking for a poem that would sum everything I wanted to say up perfectly for this memorial today And this one is perfect, he was the person I have turned to for years, he was such a nice guy and didn’t deserve all the hardships he got, but despite all the bad things that happened to him, he was always there for me when I needed him.Eric was the most positive and  upbeat person I’ve ever known and it was an absolute pleasure to be in his company, a true gentleman, an advocate of peace, he will be sorely missed. 

Rest In Peace Buddy  I searched and found this Poem for Eric… 

My Wish For You

"I wish I could give you many more years. 

I wish I could erase away all of your tears. 

I want to take away all of your pain. 

I want to give you sunshine in the rain. 

May each new day be a perfect gift.  

May love surround you, may your spirits lift. 

If someone had to describe you, so many words come to mind. 

Beauty and grace, a heart so kind. 

You radiate warmth like a blazing fire. 

You are courage and wisdom. You truly inspire. 

You attract like a magnet beautiful things. 

You sparkle and shine like a diamond ring. 

You light up a room when you walk in. 

If someone feels sad you can make them grin. 

You are elegant and charming. You know right from wrong. 

You are the melody from a beautiful love song. 

You are a breath of fresh air on a hot summer's night. 

When there is darkness, you turn on the light. 

I do not want these words to make you cry. 

I do not want to ever say goodbye. 

I believe miracles really do come true. 

No one deserves one more than you. 

Please know how many lives you touch. 

These words are my present. You are loved so much"

(© Debra Chesnoff Published: March 2011)

From Christopher Mercer  (At the memorial)

I would first like to send all of our condolences to all of Eric's family, and although we are all grieving for Eric today our love and thoughts go out to Eric's loved ones in particular. 

As well as shedding a tear today and coming together to share our grief I hope we can all celebrate the life of our wonderful friend and share our stories together with joy as Eric would want us to. 

Eric became my friend over 10 years ago in Mui Wo, back in the days when we would all put the world to rights in Roseanne's where Wayne and I would annoy him with our karaoke,at Saggoos middle shop on the beach and at Alan's shop also on the beach. I can't even begin to count the days and nights we all shared our stories,our problems and discussed and argued over every topic it was possible to bring up. As with so many of us I became very close to Eric very quickly. He always listened and cared, he gave advice and gave practical help whenever he possibly could.That aspect of Eric defined him more than ever....no matter where he went or who he met he was always ready to share his wisdom.  His wisdom came from his very full and varied life,from Liverpool to Australia to every corner of Asia and beyond, Eric had stories and experiences from a hundred different lives he had led. Eric was many different things to many different people,a road well travelled a life well lived. Even to my own mother who described him as her best friend in Hong Kong, they shared a common knowledge of a Liverpool long gone before my time. Eric was an honorary uncle to many of our own kids,he watched them grow and was there to give advice when parents couldn't. He was a comedian, an Ozzie,a scouser, a Liverpool supporter, and he loved people and lived for friendship. It may sound like a cliché but Eric really will never leave many of us, his influence is too big,his memory too strong. He is in our hearts.

Goodbye our friend for us you'll never grow old and you'll never walk alone.