I first met the Gribble family almost thirty years ago when I was working as a bachelor in Malaysia and a mutual friend introduced me to the Gribbles. Roger and his wife Dee and their three little kids were probably the first people to meet Susan in Malaysia after we got married. We were having a barbecue and I said to Susan "you had better get out and start the barbecue - in Australia the women do the cooking." Roger and Dee were the first to arrive and quickly put Susan straight. (at least I tried.)
The Gribble kids were the most "adventurous" types I had ever met. They would try anything - swing on gates, walk cliff edges etc. They always seemed to have bruises or cuts and always seemed to be heading for trouble. There was James, Martin and Penny. Three happy great kids.
Roger was born in England and moved to Australia as a young man and is a real character to say the least. Always in for a laugh, a drink and a good time. Roger had the biggest smile and had the great ability to make anyone welcome instantly finding a common interest and making them feel as though he had known you all your life. Dee was Australian and was the perfect Mom. Calm and collected as though nothing would worry her. She really had four kids with Roger being the tallest but not necessarily the most adult. Roger would get a twinkle in his eye and say "let's give it a go" Dee and Roger returned to Australia from Malaysia when we went to the U.S.A. with our son Ross and to give birth to John. We then went off to Taiwan and eventually returned to Australia and met up with the Gribbles once again.
We saw the Gribbles regularly either at their house or ours and of course the three children had grown into big kids by then. The adventures of the Gribble kids were often discussed. One story was of three Gribble kids climbing down into a covered storm water drain near their house when it was raining and they would ride the underground drain to an outlet into the harbor at least a mile away in complete darkness with a rather high drop at the end. Apparently this hair raising adventure would be repeated until dark or until it stop raining!
Soon after the Gribbles arrived back in Australia Martin was hit by a car whilst riding his bicycle and was admitted in a coma to a local hospital. The doctors advised Roger and Dee that there was little hope and they should consider turning off the life support system. Dee and Roger waited several days and as if by a miracle Martin came out of the coma! Martin went through a hard long period of rehabilitation but was soon up to mischief once again smiling that cheeky smile that Martin still has today. All through this Dee and Roger were the most positive and supporting parents you could hope for.
When the three Gribble kids reached adulthood James went into banking working in Europe for the likes of the Bank of Scotland and an Icelandic bank. He seemed to be always jetting all over the world skiing, golfing, hiking. James was very handsome, six foot three or four, almost a scratch golfer and all-round athlete. Martin headed off to the West coast of Australia where he worked on pearl farms and fishing boats. Martin eventually ended up working on luxury boats all over the world. The type that billionaires own. Apparently he also has a track record of chasing foreign women. One was even in the Israeli army! Martin also crewed on several expeditions to the Antarctic. His love of the sea obviously caught from his father who is an avid fisherman. (I think maniacal is probably a better term) Penny grew into a very lovely lady and she was running a boutique hotel in the South Pacific but is now a manager at a very large catering company based in Sydney. The Gribble kids continued to live life to the full and have even more adventures!
Life seemed perfect for the Gribble household in a very nice home in Sydney with an amazing view of the harbor and a holiday house down the coast about a hundred miles south of Sydney where Roger's boat was always ready to head out to sea. Dee was teaching at a school and just loved the kids and all her fellow teachers. There always seemed to be a party at the Gribbles. We enjoyed several holidays with our little kids down at the Gribble holiday house. The hardest decision to make at the Gribble holiday house was what to drink or what was to eat for the next meal. Roger even taught my kids to fish properly with proper equipment and he did it with a lot more patience than I ever had.
On the 1 November 2008, disaster struck the Gribble household. While waiting to go tiger fishing on a very hot day on the mighty Zambezi River in Africa, James merely fainted whilst sitting on a stool and fell backward onto hard sand. The result of this seemingly innocuous occurrence was catastrophic. The impact of the fall severely bruised his spinal cord and broke his C4 and C5 vertebrae, leaving James with voluntary movement only from his shoulder up but had the great advantage (if you can call it that) in that he could breathe by himself.
Due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of the location, it was thirty hours before James reached fully qualified medical care. This delay worsened his condition by causing fluid to collect in his lungs, leading to respiratory complications.
Roger and Dee were told that James would improve slightly and the improvement would plateau after a year or so. It has turned out he has continued to improve year on year due to his very hard work and the support of the family. A professor in America, who has been studying quadriplegia worldwide has said that James' intensive work ethic in his rehabilitation is an inspiration not only to other quadriplegics but an inspiration to us all.
Roger and Dee renovated their house so that when James came home he would have every facility he would need including an exercise room, special bathing area, wheelchair access and they even installed an elevator to take James to the second floor kitchen, dining and family room.
At the time of the accident James had an English girlfriend called Sarah. Apparently Roger called her to tell her the news and how the future for James was very bleak. She is an amazing girl and apparently she told Roger that James was the man she loved and the accident did not change a thing. Sarah travelled out to Australia every three months to Australia to stay with the Gribbles. Eventually she moved to Australia to live permanently with James.
Shortly after we moved to Australia my mother was diagnosed with cancer and I flew back to be with her in her last weeks. I called into the rehabilitation centre to see James with my two boys John and Ross. Everyone was amazed how far James had come on his recovery. On the day we visited James it was the first day he stood by himself. He rocked backwards and forwards and then stood. Everyone was amazed. (The still were just inches away from him in case he fell) As I said goodbye to Roger and Dee for my trip home to the USA, both Roger and Dee offered their help with my mother. With all they had on their plate they still were the first to offer help. Amazing and giving people.
The next issue - the latest news about James and Sarah, Roger's knees, who is Peter Puffin and why does he want a tattoo. Until then
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