Stan: A lesson in reparations

G’day. You probably have someone like Stan in your life. He’s my Humble hero for today, probably because in his own shy way he had the most unique way of resolving a problem. Stan and I were fellow travelers for some years when we were lecturers in Armidale. We both taught in the Education Department and we both did Honours together and both got a University Medal. But I was more the extrovert and Stan was more the introvert. Stan never sought praise or glory and in fact was happy reading, reflecting and very happy in his own company.  

Stan’s unique problem solving style was right there after my son Timmy was born, Jean and Timmy were both still in hospital as the specialists were assessing his developmental problems. The diagnosis was Downs Syndrome and the prognosis was not good as Timmy also had a hole in the heart. So I was home alone and quite forlorn, and what can a friend say or do when he doesn’t have kids himself and wasn’t a grief counsellor. That didn’t daunt our Stan one iota. He just rocked up to the door to give me company and brought fish and chips wrapped up in newspaper and … a bottle of 1971 Grange! – the meal would have cost about $10 and the wine close to 100 times that. I burst out laughing at the sheer incongruity of it all – and Stan just smiled sheepishly. It certainly lifted my spirits.

But that social down-play was not “affected” and many other colleagues and students were infected by Stan the same way. After he met Noela, Stan decided it was time to become a man of property so they moved out of town and bought a small farm with a very stately and historic homestead, which they named Gadshill, from the Shakespearean play Henry 1V. One of its key attractions to Stan and to me was a huge basalt rock cellar where Stan could keep his generous collection of vintage wines.

The only problem with this purchase was that this was a farm and Stan wasn’t a farmer! But he knew, when on a farm, do what farmers do! So Stan bought all the accoutrements. Then his neighbours advised him to buy a few head of cattle to keep the grass down and make the odd bob. When Stan asked how to do that, his neighbours offered to buy the cattle for him and have them trucked in. Then the problems started; the farm was a bit run down and Stan’s cattle kept breaking through the fences to the neighbours’ properties. Three of the neighbours, hot under the collar, got together and fronted Stan about this break-out. Stan apologized sincerely but, keeping in mind that Stan was as useless as “teats on a bull” as his neighbours described him, he didn’t know what to do about it. So after hearing their complaint, Stan invited them down to his cellar to have a chat and find a way forward. Down they went and some hours later came out with many handshakes and a plan.

The upshot was that Stan bought the wire and his neighbours did the repairs - the farmers were happy, the cattle were happy, Stan was exceedingly grateful and of course, when the job was over they all got back together and toasted each other in Stan’s beautiful basalt cellar. That’s what I call great diplomacy, using your talents - one of the great examples of reparations at its best. If only every problem could be looked at as an opportunity for a win-win like Stan achieved, I’m sure the world would be a happier place.

Stan for sheer brilliance in using your strengths to cover your weakness, I warmly welcome you into the Humble Heroes Hall of Fame.