The Sunshine Coast lost a good one last week.
After a courageous three-year fight with cancer, Reg Thomas passed away Thursday, Nov. 12. He was 75.
Reg was a special, special man. His involvement in our community was amazing.
From coaching his daughter Ellen and the young players in high school and youth soccer to his work behind the scenes with the soccer association, it is safe to say he was Mr. Soccer on the Sunshine Coast.
His passion for the game was evident in that work and all that he did to promote the game. His passion for "football" was evident in the columns he wrote for us at Coast Reporter. He was always generous in his praise of football and the efforts of young and old and showed a real sensitivity to the needs of all young players getting recognition. That is rare in many writers these days, especially writers who have no formal writing background. Reg had a way with words, and his columns were always thoughtful and insightful. When Reg was diagnosed with cancer, he made a call that we know was a tough one: to our newsroom, saying he could no longer write the column.
But that didn't stop his involvement with sports. He continued to call us from time to time with story ideas and soccer tips and helped mentor David Rogers who is now our adult soccer columnist.
Reg worked for 25 years helping co-ordinate graduation ceremonies at Chatelech Secondary School and was honoured with an award two years ago at the start of the grad ceremony. He was truly touched by the award. Then last year, the Sunshine Coast Youth Soccer Association (SCYSA) named five soccer bursaries in his honour, handing out the first ones to five deserving youth this past June.
Reg's commitment to making this community a better place is a lasting and treasured legacy. One of his final projects was continuing to work for the creation of new fields behind Chatelech. This community can honour Reg by continuing the efforts to get those fields built. The SCYSA is working hard to complete the project and we know they won't stop until it's done.
The soccer sidelines will be forever changed with his passing.
Reg was a generous man, and his contributions to this community and to the betterment of our paper with not be soon forgotten.
We at Coast Reporter will remember Reg fondly. His smile, his warm demeanour and the generous way he gave of his time will be forever missed. We have lost one of the good ones. He was a great example to us all and we have a lot to thank him for.
