For Andy Clarke sharing a cold beer and eating his favourite creamy chicken and vegetable pie at Wellington Point with his family, close friends and work colleagues was the perfect way to make a last wish come true and create forever memories Andy’s smile lit up when he arrived and saw the party of 50 including his wife, Fiona, sons Charlie and Henry, his much-loved pups Stan and Barney ready to share a special time with him. On a rainy afternoon, there was no way that a little weather was going to prevent the love, joy, and memories created that afternoon from shining through.
Despite being born in the landlocked Midlands of the UK, Andy has always had a love of the water, taking every opportunity he could to head to Wellington Point and take in the breathtaking scenery that was a complete contrast to his place of birth.
Growing up in a rural environment, Andy was always an inquisitive problem solver, going on to study mechanical engineering, a career that allowed him to travel the world and form close work friendships with many colleagues who were present on the day of the Wish. From a stint managing a tea plantation in Nairobi, Kenya, to his eventual migration to Australia 16 years ago, central to Andy’s life and values were the people he met.
Much loved by his friends, neighbours and colleagues, Andy states that “people deserve to be treated fairly, with respect and integrity, you will get the best out of people this way,” and as our Wish Team observed, his belief was more than reciprocated with the number of people that arrived to share Andy’s Wish with him.
Andy also enjoyed fishing, rugby and golf, but the water was where he was happiest, even when things didn’t always go to plan, such as when he fell overboard from his 18ft cabin cruiser, making waves in the Brisbane River.
Ambulance Wish Queensland would like to thank our partners for this Wish, St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane, Queensland Health, Queensland Ambulance Service and our fantastic Wish team of Natasha, Gavin, Brendan, Catriona, Matt, Kathryn, and Lauren.