Being five years older than Alviar, I never really saw him at school other than on the schoolbus in my final two years at Roundwood. However, we were in the same Karate class when I was around 14 and he was only 8 or 9. As we both attended Karate at least once a week, I saw him a lot in Karate. As we were at similar belt levels, we were often in the same group.
I have several funny memories of Alviar at Karate even all these years later. Two main memories still remain. There was a time, after a Karate lesson, where me and him were in the changing rooms, it was just us two. I was changing out of my Gi, then he just suddenly blurted out "FAT ARSEHOLES!" for no reason. He wasn't insulting me or saying it maliciously, he was just being cheeky! Seeing a small child blurt this out was the funniest thing I'd heard all year, as it reminded me when I was 8 or 9 and I used to scream random rude things in front of teachers or older people (and to him I would've seemed really old!) to see what I could get away with. I literally burst out laughing right there and then because it took me by so much surprise.
Another was when he turned to the Sensei and said "He's trying to kill me with the Kata!" I have no idea why but this also cracked me up. Just the way he said it.
Fast forward 9 or so years and I find out about the Save Alviar campaign. The name rings a bell, and then I remember, this was someone I once knew from Karate! I was so shocked to hear he had leukaemia, that funny kid from Karate I knew all those years back. I was never close friends or anything with him, and never saw him again after he was about 12 when I left Roundwood, but I still do have memories of him and was shocked and saddened at his passing. My thoughts are with his family in what must have been a really rough few years!
Being five years older than Alviar, I never really saw him at school other than on the schoolbus in my final two years at Roundwood. However, we were in the same Karate class when I was around 14 and he was only 8 or 9. As we both attended Karate at least once a week, I saw him a lot in Karate. As we were at similar belt levels, we were often in the same group.
I have several funny memories of Alviar at Karate even all these years later. Two main memories still remain. There was a time, after a Karate lesson, where me and him were in the changing rooms, it was just us two. I was changing out of my Gi, then he just suddenly blurted out "FAT ARSEHOLES!" for no reason. He wasn't insulting me or saying it maliciously, he was just being cheeky! Seeing a small child blurt this out was the funniest thing I'd heard all year, as it reminded me when I was 8 or 9 and I used to scream random rude things in front of teachers or older people (and to him I would've seemed really old!) to see what I could get away with. I literally burst out laughing right there and then because it took me by so much surprise.
Another was when he turned to the Sensei and said "He's trying to kill me with the Kata!" I have no idea why but this also cracked me up. Just the way he said it.
Fast forward 9 or so years and I find out about the Save Alviar campaign. The name rings a bell, and then I remember, this was someone I once knew from Karate! I was so shocked to hear he had leukaemia, that funny kid from Karate I knew all those years back. I was never close friends or anything with him, and never saw him again after he was about 12 when I left Roundwood, but I still do have memories of him and was shocked and saddened at his passing. My thoughts are with his family in what must have been a really rough few years!
