Vale Keith Caldwell

Crowds gathered at Kembla Grange Racecourse to celebrate the life of the Bulli Surf Club president on June 11, Brian Kelly reports.

Given the vast sprawl of vehicles in the racecourse car park, the casual observer might have thought it strange to have a funeral on race day. Except there were no races.

“Nah, no races – this is just for the funeral, mate,” said the car park steward, gesturing toward the rare remaining spaces a long stroll from the Kembla Grange entrance.

Such was the popularity of Keith Caldwell, the Bulli Surf Club president of 17 years whose presence was both keenly felt and sorely missed at his send-off. Known as “Cocky” – a nickname not given for his exuberant, confident manner but which suited it – Keith left a massive community footprint in his 60 years across numerous fields, mostly in surf lifesaving but also in the NSW Police, particularly its rugby league scene. He died in hospital on May 30.

Keith entered the enclosure area in a coffin vividly coloured with drawings and messages from his grandchildren as the bombastic rock of Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Guns N’ Roses version) filled the air. With two surf boats, banners and a reel forming a backdrop, the sun peeked through for a moment on a chilly day vastly different to the thousands of sunny ones Keith spent on Bulli Beach.

His son, Jamie, later noted how fitting the venue was, as Keith had engaged his passion for the punt at the course and had once been thrown the keys and asked to lock up one night after a particularly convivial social session in the members bar.

Four speakers recounted his contributions to the lives of others beyond his equally impressive CV of police work and surf lifesaving with the emotion and humour that had underpinned his connection with people.

There were chuckles amid the tears, particularly over stories regarding Keith impersonating a contract killer during his undercover years with police, and the day he almost drowned long-time friend Noel Freeman during a belt race in a Sydney surf carnival.

That one person could have collected such a list of official plaudits and accolades – arguably peaking with last year’s life membership to Surf Life Saving Australia – is an imposing achievement, but all anecdotes asserted that it was the personal bonds forged over the years that mattered most
to Keith.

“He would see the best in people definitely before the worst – and if there was enough best, he would give them a go,” Jamie said in a eulogy containing a humorous pot-shot at his father’s dubious DIY skills alongside an acknowledgment of how the outpouring of grief had been humbling.

Jamie related how, as a grandfather, Keith had perfected the parent-frustrating art of dropping in half an hour before his grandkids’ dinner with a bag of lollies, geeing them up and then leaving, often after staying for dinner himself.

A memorial scholarship in Keith’s name on gofundme to help young adults achieve goals had raised more than $39,000 at press time.

Jamie also reinforced the importance of registering for organ donation. Keith left his liver, kidneys and other tissues for the benefit of ill strangers – for a bloke who did 45 years of lifesaving, a different but no less profound method of saving lives.