RIP.
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Coastal sporting great
Ray Stokes died over the weekend at the age of 92.
The all-round talents of Stokes, 92, seemingly knew no bounds, captaining Tasmania in both football and cricket.
His deeds with the Sherrin saw him wear the yellow and black of Richmond 93 times from 1946-51, playing alongside his brother Jervis at times, impressing those in at Punt Road so much he was described by the great Jack Dyer as “the best thing to cross the Bass Strait”.
Stokes and Dyer were not only teammates, but good friends.
Brendon Gale, himself an example of a Coaster to succeed for the Tigers on field who is now the club’s chief executive, the connection runs much deeper than just football, having known him since the mid-1980s as a neighbour in Burnie.
“He was older than my father, but I knew just by the way that my father (Don) spoke about him that he was just a highly respected figure in sport generally,’’ Gale said.
“It wasn’t until I got to Richmond (Gale played 244 games for the Tigers between 1990-2001) that I realised how highly respected he was here, as the guys who played around that time held him in such a high regard as he was so tough and talented.
“He was a very humble person, disciplined and well organised person.
“He was always in really good condition and was a fitness fanatic, and he’d always be out walking or running most mornings or playing golf.
“He was a real product of his generation, pretty hard, frugal, personally disciplined and full of integrity.”
http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/4494695/gale-pays-tribute-to-sporting-great-stokes/
