By Ian Storey, Distinguished Service Member and House Captain
Just over a month ago, 21 September 2022, one of our members, Stephen Cottier, died in Darwin.
He joined our club as an Associate on 8 March 2009. Steve was an early morning swimmer, a Newport Knacker, and the best surfer amongst the early swimmers.
He contracted melanoma about 6 years ago and then received a second dose of the same, plus a greater penetration of the body, last year. He moved to Darwin to be with his daughter Bianca in Darwin. After a lot of treatment, doctors decided that the treatment in Darwin could do no more for him, so he returned to Sydney for a few months trying to find a new treatment that might cure him. This did not occur within a few months here in Sydney, so Steve went home to Darwin, where he passed away with his daughter with him in the hospice.
Steve was a cheerful, optimistic guy who loved surfing and his Newport friends. He never gave up and was in contact with us until the end. He never lost his positive attitude throughout his illness and his weakening body.
