Nick Longstaff

12 December 1981 – 22 October 2002

Tim Clark

As we all grapple with this devastating loss and share with Keith, Hanka, Christian and Jessie the profound sorrow and grief of Nick’s parting, let’s take some moments to reflect on the life of this marvellous boy.

Nicholas was born in Bahrain on 12th December 1981 and so he would have been 21 in six weeks. He was an incredibly bright and active baby full of beans and mischief and some said he could sprint before he could crawl.  Because of his scampering, affectionately he became known as mousey to his family and all of us who knew him then.  His laughter and antics were wonderfully infectious and he brought joy to his family and toddler friends.

In 1983, Keith and the family moved to Dubai and the boys into JESS and subsequently to Dubai College.  Nicholas soon excelled in sport, particularly swimming, where his speed to the finish line left many of his peers on the starting blocks.  His teachers very quickly recognised a strong artistic and creative talent in Nick and he was extremely adept at just about anything he turned his hand to.  He was rarely challenged intellectually and he always managed school work and exams with the minimum of effort and fuss.  He had so many friends that loved to be with him and he with them.

Despite some medical setbacks Nicholas grew into a strong and handsome free spirit who knew his own mind and he was his own man.  I suppose you could say he was cool but at the same time he was a great listener and a caring individual.

During the last couple of years Nick decided to make best use of his strong artistic flair and attended a full time course in cinematography.  Such was the strength of his talent the college waived all entry requirements for the first time in its history.  We will never know, but maybe there was another Polanski or Spielberg in the making.

The last time I saw Nick was in a restaurant here in Dubai with the family and I have to say that my suspicions were confirmed: he could out eat his father which for those of you who know Keith, represented a formidable achievement.

Alas, this marvellous boy has left us but we celebrate his memory, for every day was a bonus with Nick and pay tribute to his life, tragically cut short as it was.  To his family we say remember this: Nicholas could not have been brought up in a more close, loving and caring environment.  His family was his rock and he could have done almost anything. Keith, Hanka and Christian, your family is all around you: we’re all here to help and take you through the difficult days ahead.

Maurice Flanagan

I am in Australia for an event which cannot be changed (not the Melbourne Cup).  Tim will speak as an old family friend, but there is something I would like to add.  Many of us are far away from our blood relatives.  Our colleagues and their families become our second extended family, and this is particularly so in our company, where most of us have been together for many years.  Even if we do not see each other all the time away from work, we watch with pleasure as each others sons and daughters grow into handsome young men and pretty young ladies.  We are concerned about the ups and downs in their lives as we share the anxieties that parenthood inevitably brings to us all.  We delight in their successes.  Because of this, we have all lost one of our own.  We hope the love, concern, and support we extend will bring some of the comfort to Keith, Hanka and Christian.

Maurice.

Louise

Let me sleep, for my soul if intoxicated with love, and

Let me rest, for my spirit has had its bounty of days and nights;

Light the cancels and burn the incense around my bed,

And

Scatter leaves of jasmine and roses over my body;

Embalm my hair with frankincense and sprinkle my

Feet with perfume,

And read what the hand of Death had written on my

Forehead.

Let me rest in the arms of Slumber, for my open eyes

And tired;

Let the silver-stringed lyre quiver and sooth my spirit;

Weave from the harp and lute a veil around my withering

Heart.

Sing of the past as you behold the dawn of hope in my eyes,

For

Its magic meaning is a soft bed upon which my heart rests.

Karen

Dry your tears, my friends, and raise you heads as the

Flowers

Raise their crowns to greet the dawn.

Look at the bride of death standing like a column of light

Between my bed and the infinite;

Hold your breath and listen with me to the beckoning rustle

of

Her white wings

Come close and bid me farewell; touch my eyes with smiling

Lips.

Let the children grasp my hands with soft and rosy fingers;

Let the aged place their veined hands upon my hand and

Bless me;

Let the virgins come close and see the shadow of God in my

eyes,

And hear the echo of his will racing my breath.

Ramie

I have passed a mountain peak and my soul is soaring in the

Firmament of complete and unbound freedom;

I am far, far away, my companions, and the clouds are

Hiding the hills from my eyes

The valleys are becoming flooded with an ocean of silence,

And the

Hands of oblivion are engulfing the roads and the houses;

The prairies and fields are disappearing behind a white

Spectre

That looks like the spring cloud, yellow as the candlelight

And red as the twilight

The sounds of the waves and hymns of the streams

And scattered and the voices of the throngs reduced to

Silence;

And I can hear naught but the music of Eternity

In exact harmony with the spirit’s desires.

I am clocked in full whiteness;

I am in comfort; I am in peace.

Tom

Lament me not, but sing songs of youth and joy;

Shed not tears upon me, but sing of harvest and the winepress;

Utter no sign of agony, but draw upon my face with your finger, the

Symbol of Love and joy.

Disturb not the air’s tranquillity with chanting and requiems,

But let your heart sing with me the song of Eternal Life;

Mourn me not with apparel of black,

But dress in colour and rejoice with me;

Talk not of my departure with sighs in your hearts;

Close your eyes and you will see me with you forevermore.

Leave me then friends – leave me and depart on mute feet, as the silence

Walks in the deserted valley;

Leave me to God and disperse yourselves slowly, as the

Almond and apple blossoms disperse under the vibration of

Nisan’s breeze.

Go back to the joy of your dwellings and you will find there that which

Death cannot remove from you and me.

Leave this place, for what you see here is far away in meaning from the

Earthly world.  Leave me…

Poems by Kahlil Gibran

“The Beauty of Death from Tears and Laughter”

Ram

I have known him my entire life, some of you might think that's not very long, but it was long enough for Nicholas to make an impact on my life.  Although there was a 7 year age difference between us we still got along very well.  Since I am an only child Nick was like a brother to me. 

Both of us had Glandular fever and because of him I learned what I should and shouldn't do to recover.  Nick always had a smile on his face.  Judging by the amount of people here, it just shows how many hearts he touched in his lifetime.

Nick always managed to look different and he did this through a variety of hairstyles.  I remember one occasion when he looked like a Mohawk straight off the set "The last of the Mohicans".

A brilliant swimmer, Nick loved the sea.  While he was at Dubai College he took part in the swimming gala, and even though he had just recovered from Glandular fever, he won.  That just gives us an indication of how determined he was in life.  Nick was determined to do well at everything he tried.

He was a charmer and he could charm the pants of anyone that he met.  He always managed to make Christian drive incredibly long distances just drop or pick him up, because Christian couldn't refuse his little brother's wishes and always looked forward to being with him.

He was a great listener and always listened intently to anything anyone had to say no matter how trivial or complicated it was.  This was one of the many ways Nick made friends, since usually there are many talkers but very few listeners.

Although I am deeply saddened that Nick has left us forever, I am grateful that he passed away during the happiest time of his life in a beautiful, peaceful and tranquil place.

Thank you Nick.

I will always remember you and may your soul rest in peace.