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Shane Warne Memorial: Summer, Brooke and Jackson Warne pay tribute to their father 

30 Mar 2022

  • The Shane Warne Stand unveiled 
Brooke Warne: ‘Dad was our shining star’  Brooke Warne, too, said she still couldn’t believe her dad was gone. “I will miss seeing how excited you get over our achievements and your achievements,” she said. “I have to come to the fact that my Dad will never get to see me grow up or Jackson or Summer or see us get married one day, have kids and get the promotion I was going for. I could go on forever about what we’re going to miss out on, but nothing would be more upsetting about how much I already miss you, Dad. “I feel like you’re on holiday, because you were always working out of Australia, but I know that’s not the case. But what makes me the saddest is, I will never get to wrap my arms around you and give you the biggest hug and rest my chin on your chest. Dad was our shining star in life and now he’s shining down on all of us.”  Jackson Warne: ‘You were the best dad’  For son Jackson, it was the everyday, simple moments he said he would miss most. “You were the best dad anyone could have asked for and you were my best friend,” he said. “Time with you went way too fast. It feels just like yesterday that we were looking at each other’s cards playing poker, eating pizza while watching the Saints. I’ll never forget how much fun we had doing simple things, grocery shopping, watching movies or going for walks during lockdown. We didn’t have to do much to be happy. Life was so easy and peaceful with you in it.”  Summer Warne shares the last time she saw her father  The Warne children entered the stage to Summer of ‘69 by Bryan Adams. Summer Warne spoke first, recalling her last encounter with her father. “That song ‘Summer of ‘69’ played on Wednesday, March 2, two days before your passing and the last time I saw my dad,” she said. “You were coming to pick up your bag you needed for Thailand. And as I opened the door you came inside and had your car door wide open blaring that song. You started dancing and singing with true happiness all around you. With the smile that lit up the whole room.  “We both started dancing with not a care in the world, and couldn’t stop laughing with each other. Looking back on that memory now, and it is so incredibly special as the year you were born was 1969 and a verse in that song is, ‘When I look back now, that summer seemed to last forever. And if I had a choice I’d always want to be there. Those were the best days of my life.’ You will always be with us, Dad, just not in the way we had hoped.” The Shane Warne Stand unveiled  After their moving speeches, Brooke, Jackson and Summer unveiled the MCG stand renamed in honour of their father: The Shane Warne Stand. Formerly known as the Great Southern Stand, it was announced the day after Warne’s shock death the cavernous section of the “G” would be renamed the S.K. Warne Stand. But in line with the family’s wishes, the stand will instead be named the Shane Warne Stand – a fitting honour for a proud Victorian (and cricket’s biggest footy fan).  Warne’s brother Jason thanks public for tributes Shane Warne’s little brother, Jason, struggled to contain his emotions as he described how touched the family had been by the tributes that had flowed in from across the globe. “The impact my brother had during his remarkable life, it’s always been really difficult to comprehend,” he said. “Shane has connected with us all in many ways. Whether it being entertained by his amazing exploits on the cricket ground, through the time he spent and putting a smile on the face of many children, or the times he’s met you in person, made you feel special. The tributes that have flowed over the past few weeks have been extremely heartfelt.”  The question that made ‘Captain Grumpy’ tear up Australian cricket legend Allan Border was known for his gruff on-field persona, earning the nickname “Captain Grumpy” for the trait. But tonight at the MCG, one of the hardest men to grace a field was brought to the verge of tears by one question. Border sat on stage alongside fellow cricket greats Mark Taylor, Nasser Hussain, Merv Hughes, and Brian Lara. At the end of their segment, host Mark Howard turned to Border and asked: “What would you say to Warnie if he was here right now?”  Border teared up as he gave his response. “Thank you for making my captaincy... it revitalised my captaincy towards the end of my time,” Border said. “I was lucky to have two years with Shane, and I’d just thank him for that.”  Keith Warne pays tribute to son’s off-field achievements Warne’s dad, Keith, fought back the tears as he tried to come to terms with “a future without Shane”. He paid tribute to his son’s sporting achievements but said they were ultimately secondary in his life. “What Shane achieved was unimaginable but for his mother and I, it was the things Shane did and the things he did away from the cricket field we will hold up as his finest achievements,” he said. “He was a doting father who loved and adored his children. He was a loving and caring son and brother.”  Keith’s voice eventually broke as he described his son. “Shane said of himself, ‘I smoked, I drank, and I played a little cricket.’ Mate, your mother and I can’t imagine a life without you. You have been taken too soon and our hearts are broken.”


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