Members of Australia’s business events community were shocked and saddened to learn that David Gool, general managing of Face to Face Event Management, had passed away on Christmas Eve 2007 after suffering a heart attack.
David had a long career in the tourism and business tourism sector. He worked as a butler in London, and later in France and the UK for BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation, later becoming British Airways). David then worked for Qantas for about 11 years before joining Cunard, and later joining the Carlson Marketing Group, heading up their conference and incentive travel division for around five years.
In 1998 he started Inmark which became Group Event Travel when it was taken over in 2002, and remained working there until April 2007.
He joined Medical Meetings and Face to Face Event Management in May 2007 as general manager.
David worked in the tourism and business tourism industry for about 36 years.
He was on the Starwood Advisory Board for many years, and the mice.net magazine Advisory Board from the magazine’s inception.
Sandra Zentveld, director of operations at Face to Face Event Management, said David was “really, really funny – he could make any story hysterical. He was the best host at lunches, which he preferred, rather than dinners as he always retired early in the evening.”
“The fondest memory of David will be how he made you laugh. And how sometimes, he was such a kid.
“I met David in the early 90’s during his Cunard days, then I worked with David for about 12 years during Carlson, Inmark, GET and Medical Meetings/Face to Face. We used to call him ‘Sir Lunch-a-lot’ because that was his favourite pastime.”
Managing director of Medical Meetings and Face to Face Event Management, Stephen Turner, said someone asked him how he was going to replace David.
“And I said you don’t. David was a one-off.”
More than 300 friends and colleagues attended his funeral on January 2 at St Johns at Darlinghurst followed by a gathering at the Tivoli.
He would have turned 60 on February 9, 2008, and no doubt would have enjoyed a big lunch-time party with friends and loved ones.
Garry Court, former general manager of Air New Zealand Australia, passed away on November 15, 2007, after a relatively short but determined battle with cancer. He was aged 67 years, and had retired from formal business life in November 2000.
Garry was a virtual icon within the international airline business – including most aspects of the travel and leisure industry. For nearly 37 years he worked at the highest management levels with Air New Zealand. He saw the airline change from flying piston engine airliners through to the introduction of all of the current jet aircraft now being used.
Garry headed up Air New Zealand in three continents finishing his career with the company in Sydney as general manager.
He was a keen and most knowledgeable lover of AFL, rugby and golf. He so much cherished his membership at the MCG and was distraught at having to miss the last grand final due to his deteriorating health.
Whilst I reflect so fondly on my lost mate, I always realised that our friendship was but one of many very close relationships he developed, maintained and enjoyed. He had that happy knack of segregating his network of friends into groups in a wonderful manner. None of us enjoyed his entire attention; in retrospect none of us could have handled that anyway – he did set a cracking pace! But it would only be one or two of his childhood friends who might say in convincing manner that he or she was Garry’s “best mate”. He had a plethora of us all vying for that honor.
Garry had a life-long love and respect for Mignon (his wife). And he was fully convinced that he had sired the most perfect children on earth in Sam, Ben and Melissa.
Not one of us who knew and were privileged to enjoy Garry’s company would not have a story to tell.
Farewell friend!
Top
|