Reference #6
The late Desmond WHITESIDE. (photo courtesy of Neville Wheatcroft, NZ)
A Tribute
It is often said that life is but a heartbeat. Never has this been so graphically illustrated than in my short association with Des Whiteside.
Last November 3, 2008, Des in his capacity as a civic minded citizen sent out an urgent e-mail calling for help in the situation in regard to Fiji's political turmoil. His call roused in me not only respect for his tenacity, but a feeling of immediate soul mate kinship. Des was a fighter.
I responded to his call, by e-mail and received an immediate slap on the back and a simple 'thanks mate'. We continued to correspond until one evening I decided to ring the man in question. The call lasted nearly an hour. It ended with an invite to visit him after Christmas; an invitation that my wife and I agreed to undertake. It never happened. A few days later Des had passed away at the age of 56. I deeply feel his passing.
Des was a thinking man, a humble man. He was a man with a highly suppressed sense of fun, but he was also a fighter for his people. His people are the poorer for his passing with so much work to be done and so few willing to pick up the fallen baton.
Vale Des Whiteside, you bore the name and carried it proudly.
Bruce Whiteside
The following is the Family tree passed on by Andra Harrison
Excerpt from the Fiji Times
Whiteside passes on
Friday, December 12, 2008
Update: 2:02PM The president of Fiji Manufactures Association, Desmond Whiteside has passed away.
Mr Whiteside was also a member of the National Council for Building a Better Fiji.
United Peoples Party acting president, Mick Beddoes paid a tribute to Mr Whiteside today, saying "Desmond's untimely passing was a sad loss for Fiji as I was certain Desmond still had a lot more to contribute to Fijis development and progress".
Mr Beddoes, who was a school mate of Mr Whiteside in the mid to late 60s, said although in recent years he and Mr Whiteside found themselves on the opposite divide with Mr Whitesides membership of the NCBBF, he never once doubted Mr Whitesides sincere belief of doing the right thing for Fiji.
Mr Whiteside passed away on Tuesday.