Bob Barnard Track Engineering

I learned today that a good friend from my days in Australia is in a bad way. Darryl Eastlake is in a nursing home with alzheimer’s, dementia and emphysema. Only a couple of years older than me and struck down. Darryl was huge in every sense. He was a big man with a personality to match, and an inquisitive mind and big heart. His trademark when commentating was the word "HUGE" boomed out when something excited him, which was often. He was a student of Murray Walkers "pants on fire" school of commentating, making us feel it in our living rooms.

He was "discovered" by Channel Nine when commentating on the weightlifting. They decided if he could get everyone excited about that then he was the guy for other sports. He never tried to be clever, he would ask the specialist like Barry Sheene or Alan Jones the same dumb questions we would, and get the answers we wanted. Never glib, always entertaining.

He worked with Barry on the Motorcycle Grand Prix broadcasts and so I got to know him well. He and Barry kept us entertained on many an overseas trip, and letting us see the out takes of the video sent home. The Japanese were fascinated by him as he was so big compared to them. On one trip back from Japan we were all in First Class on Qantas, them because Channel Nine paid, and me because they were my sponsor so upgraded me. It was almost empty, and Wayne Gardner we knew was back in Business, so we bullied and shamed the steward for about an hour until they went and got him.

Just before we left Australia we spent New Years Eve with Darryl and Julie at their house in Terrigal. Many lies were told and much alcohol consumed. We went down to the beach and watched the sun come up, a magical moment not to be forgot. And who could forget his Cadillac Eldora, powder blue and convertible, and huge like him. I won't.