ALTHOUGH he touched a seemingly endless number of people’s lives in his time, there’s few who knew Orange sporting legend Carl Sharpe quite like his best mate Keith Crossley.
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After Sharpe’s death on Tuesday morning, Crossley, understandably a bit emotional, took some time on Thursday to reflect on his unconditional friendship with Sharpe, which kicked off when the pair met in 1969.
Crossley, affectionately known as Bear, explained how Sharpe recruited him to play for Orange City Cricket Club - a club he captained and has become a legend of - essentially by not giving him a choice, showing up as he arrived in Orange for the first time.
“I was unloading the removalist truck and here comes Sharpie wandering up the driveway,” Crossley laughed.
“He’d heard I was coming to town and wanted me to play for Orange City. I wasn’t going to play at all originally, but I went and met all the guys that Saturday anyway. Of course that was the bloody end of it.
“It was the start of a long friendship for us and I can openly say we were each other’s best mate. He was a huge part of my life and he did so much for me.”
One of Crossley’s fondest memories of Sharpe came in 1978, two years after he’d left Orange for Glen Innes, in the days after his wife Josie passed away.
“There was no direct flights from Orange to Glen Innes at that point, so Sharpie decided to charter a plane himself and made sure a few of the Warriors boys flew up as well to help me out during a tough time,” Crossley recalled.
“That’s just the kind of guy he was, we’ll all miss him dearly.”
Another close mate of Sharpe’s, former Australian Test Match captain Brian Booth, spoke fondly of their friendship, during which they established the Brian Booth Trophy - awarded to the winner of an annual match between Western Zone and St George Cricket Club’s under-17 sides.
In particular, Booth paid homage to Sharpe’s undying passion for helping young cricketers develop.
“We’re hoping that trophy will continue for many years now, in memory of Carl as much as anything,” Booth said.
“It’s a very sad time. I knew Carl for about 50 years, he was a great friend and was always on the lookout to scout players for us down at St George, he was always about helping young players develop and get opportunities. Steve Bernard and Trent Copeland came through that way.
“He was a giver, in so many ways, and did so much for so many sports and the community as a whole.”
Sharpe’s funeral service will be held on Monday, March 7, at St Joseph’s Church.
