BILLY THE GOALIE

                                                        Billy the Goalie

    We lived in Tasmania for five years back in the early 2000s. A lot of the mountains and hills reminded me very much of where Billy and I grew up in Scotland, the Vale of Leven, “The Vale”. 

            Our local mountain was Ben Lomond, overlooking the beautiful Loch Lomond, made famous in song.

Ben Lomond, like a sentinel, with its head and shoulders, watched over the Vale of Leven, winter, spring, summer, or fall. Snow-capped in the winter, it looked like a Christmas pudding with icing on the top of it! Or the more noble, if you will, a bald eagle about to take off! Magnificent!

It was while my wife and I were in Tasmania that I became reacquainted with Billy. I’ve known Billy since the late 60s, from School at the Vale of Leven Academy and the Jamestown Boys Brigade. Billy was a great goalie at soccer, football, or as we call it, “fitba.”

            Billy was one of those guys that aren’t scared to dive into a frozen, muddy puddle in winter just to make a save. Who knows how many saves Billy made over his football career.

Anyway, about twenty or so years ago I looked after a wee church next to Hobart, Tasmania. As Dorothy and I were opening up the building for the evening service, we noticed a car pulling into the church’s parking lot. A woman jumped out. I thought she was going to ask for directions. But she said something like, “Can you save my soul?” It turned it that it was Billy and Morena Cameron!

I think it was Morena’s sister Ingram who had told them that I was a minister in Tasmania. They had no idea where or what church I was minister at. “Och, you’ll find him,” said Ingram, “Tasmania is just a wee place!” It was sort of miraculous that they found me as Tasmania is about the size of Wales!

They declined my invitation to attend our wee worship service. So, we gave them our house keys and directions and told them to watch out for our dog. Wee Jamie was a Sydney Silkie, an overgrown Yorkie, that wouldn’t hurt a fly. We joined them after the service and reminisced about things in the Vale as well as things in the Bible.

One of the things in the Bible is the idea of getting “saved.” There was a jailer who asked Paul the Apostle, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul gave him a simple answer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31).

Now, Billy diving into a frozen puddle to save a goal is pretty impressive, but Jesus having Himself nailed to a cross to save everyone who believes in Him is impressive to the max!

And just as Billy would get out of the frozen puddle after having saved a goal and kick the ball back up the pitch, so Jesus got out of the grave after having saved all who will believe in Him and He takes them to be with Him in Heaven when they die.

To get the ball into the back of the net you needed to get through Billy the goalie. And that wasn’t an easy thing to do. To get into Heaven you need to go through Jesus the Saviour. And it’s impossible to get to Heaven without Him. Because Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

I hadn’t seen Billy for a year or two before he died. To my knowledge, Billy was never hostile toward Jesus, at least not in my company. As his health failed, I hope that he started trusting in Jesus. As Paul says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom.10:9).

My wife, Dorothy, and I left Tasmania and came back here to Brisbane in sunny Queensland. In 2008 I became an army chaplain posted at Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, here in Brisbane. I was with 2GHB, a sort of M.A.S.H. unit, all doctors and nurses, where I was a sort of “Father Mulcahy.” Anyway, as I was walking to my car, there was Billy with his head under the open hood or bonnet of someone’s car! He worked for RACQ at the time. “Hello Billy!”

    From then on Billy was the main organiser for the Scottish contingent living in Brisbane of which I was part. We’d all go out for meals together. A lot of the men would go golfing together.

Billy was the one who would gather us all. He would organise things. He was like the team manager. The rest of us, it would seem, couldn’t organise a “manáge!”

Billy, today you’ve really outdone yourself. You’ve gathered friends and family from all over the world! And we’re all going to miss you!

Apparently, family and friends are going to have a wee service for Billy on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond soon. I’m sure we’ll be there in spirit.

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,

Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomon'.

where me and my true love were ever wont to gae

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomon’.

O ye’ll tak’ the high road and I’ll tak the low road,

An’ I’ll be in Scotland afore ye;

But me and my true love will never meet again

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomon’. 

Billy, we’re really going to miss you. Goodbye old friend.