Tommy Burns

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

Apologies to those of you with no interest in the Beautiful Game, but I know there are others among us who will have been stunned by the news I have just heard, of the death of one of the game's finest from skin cancer, at the criminally tender age of 51.

Tommy Burns was a very elegant, stylish and intelligent player for both his club (Celtic) and country (Scotland), and he showed the same qualities off the park in his managerial career, always coming across as a thoroughly decent and honourable man.

I had no idea that he was ill, and I'm very saddened by this. Rest in peace, Tommy.

[The Peepmaster]

It shocked me too when I read it this morning. Far too young.

I remembered he'd been given the all-clear a couple of years back, and then that it had returned recently. Even so, there was no indication that his demise was imminent or that it would be so swift.

Very unfair.

[Colin]

RIP Tommy Burns.
(on the right, for those that don't know him)

[Roger Kettle]

By all accounts, he was one of those genuine nice guys. I saw him play many times and he was, undoubtedly, among the best players of his generation, elegant and classy.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

Crikey, Colin - that's a poignant picture if ever I saw one. For those who don't know, the young man on the left is former Celtic captain, Phil O'Donnell, who tragically died at the end of last year after suffering a cardiac  arrest during a match, aged 35.

[Malc]

Tragic news indeed, I'm sorry to hear of anyone dying young, and it shows that the good and talented are not spared.
I'm a Celtic/Man United fan from childhood (though I follow Killie for the thrills) and was a great admirer of Tommy.

Coincidentally I went into a skin cancer clinic for a check up yesterday, the first time I have done so since arriving in Oz. The doctor removed a piece of tissue he thought was suspicious for analysis, and said that he would be in touch.
It was painless, and I would advise anyone to go get a check, skin cancer is not just about a mole looking dark or oddly shaped, the piece of tissue I had removed was not suspicious-looking to the naked eye, it showed up black under the scanner.

I do try and do the right thing (wear screen, a hat, shades and always cover up in the sun when I'm coaching or reffing) but Tommy Burns' death has proved that you don't have to live in a hot country to get skin cancer.

[Roger Kettle]

Malc, I'm sure everything will be okay with you but it must be worrying nonetheless. Let us know how it goes.

[Malc]

Mate, I'm sure everything will be fine, white Australians are forever getting bits cut off them over here, and whereas young, barefoot girls in crop tops look gorgeous with their tans, old ladies walk round with umbrellas as parasols to keep out of the sun (I take a brolly to every football match now, because shade is at a premium) and the local state Premier has a different piece of sticking plaster on his face or head every time he's interviewed.

Skin cancer is a fact of life, and living in a hot country merely keeps it at the head of the agenda.

I've got to the stage where I show skin cancer treatments on my cartoon characters! This was one I did for a political site. Both characters are people you'll see on every Australian high street every day. The guy on the right is the Aussie equivalent of the Chav or hoodie, (serious Queensland thugs tend to be light dressers, with ancient flip flops, curled at the toes and heels, rugby shorts and singlets) and the guy on the left is an "RSL type" (the Returned Servicemen's League is the rough equivalent of the British Legion).

This old fella has had little cancers cut off his legs and bears the band aids to prove it

[Roger Kettle]

Malc, it's remarkable that this is so commonplace you can draw it as an aside in a cartoon. I genuinely hadn't realised this.
As always, fabulous artwork.

[madjock]

Been a life long celtic fan and such a sad loss to the sport. He will be sadly missed as he was a great person and a great icon for the game R.I.P. Tommy Burns

[Joan]

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world.  As Malc says, it's a fact of life here and unfortunately the young ones tend to have a "here and now" attitude towards it.  Having the tan now and looking good is more important than possibly risking your life in the future.  I know, because I have an 18 year old daughter who, despite the fact that I've slathered sunscreen on her, plonked hats on her head and tried to make her cover up all her childhood, insists on lying beside the pool in the middle of the day in the middle of summer with little or no sunscreen on.  We also have a genetic tendency - my mum in Scotland had several moles frozen off, at least one of which was a melanoma (luckily not malignant), and she hardly ever spent time in the sun without being covered up, as she would come out in heat rash very easily.

My Australian female friends of my age used to spend their summers in the sixties and seventies at the beach, in bikinis, slathered in coconut oil or even baby oil - not only a worry for skin cancer, but it doesn't do much for your skin as you get older.  I always get my moles checked as part of the doctor's check up.  As for my husband (Australian born and bred), he's already had one suspicious growth cut out - it was okay.  I try to check his back, but it's hard to tell, as it's just one large mass of brown freckles, especially in the summer when he insists on taking his shirt off to do the gardening (much to our daughter's horror).  When I first met him, his leisure dress sense was very similar to your Queensland thug, Malc!  Except for maybe the shorts which were usually board shorts (shorter than today's) or Stubbies.  I managed eventually to wean him off the singlets, especially when he goes out, but he'll still put the shorty shorts on now and again, just to annoy Kate, I think!  I have to say that he didn't look much like you're drawing, though - his figure was a little better.  Don't know what would offend him more - Queenslander or thug - have a suspicion it might be the former, him being a New South Welshman.    Which reminds me, I have to rent a movie for Wednesday night.

Sorry I'm waffling on off topic, have a tendency to do that.  It's very sad to hear of men like this dying so young, when they obviously have so much to offer.

[Malc]

The "stubbies" Joan mentions are small shorts, often worn by working men, alongside their "Blundstones", working boots, usually of a slip-on variety.

Women like stubbies, because if you get a nice looking "tradie" (a tradesman - carpenter, plumber, roofer, etc) with decent legs and his toolbelt turning up at your home to fix something, it's girl porn.

Just to confuse things, "stubbies" are also the smaller sized bottles of beer.

I don't want to deflect off this serious subject any more than I have -Australian slang demands a whole new thread.