Tribute from Diana Bagnall - The blue shirt
By Diana Bagnall - May 5, 2005
It's nearly six months since Col's death. Nothing's really covered up in here at the Bulletin. The furniture's been moved, but there's still a Col-shaped hole. It's hard to say why that is. Yes, Col was everything that all his friends have said, and we miss that sorely. But still, when a person leaves a job, usually the sand shifts and fills up the space pretty quickly. Not so with Col. I venture to say, he was indispensable. Not a comfortable thought, because we go on producing a magazine week after week, but I know, and others here know, it lacks Col's perspective. His wisdom (he'd hate that), his dryness, his pernickityness (yes, I've just discovered a mistake post-production), his sophistication (he'd hate that too...just a Kiwi boy). As for the blue shirt, I see one from time to time, and I always jump..within a millisecond I realise it's someone else. But in that millisecond, I 've forgetten he's gone. Now, if that sounds like a contradiction of all of the above, maybe it's because he's occupying that hole, somehow. Not being a religious type, I can't say how. But it's a nice thought. Dig in, Col.
