Andrew Symonds Grandstand unveiled at the Riverway Stadium
In a fitting tribute to late Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds, the grandstand at Riverway Stadium in Townsville has been officially named after the former all-rounder. Andrew ‘Roy’ Symonds Grandstand was officially unveiled by his children and mother Barbara in an emotional tribute on September 30 (Friday).
The legendary cricketer died this year in May after his vehicle left the road and rolled near Hervey Range, 50 km west of Townsville in far north Queensland. The emergency services tried to revive Symonds, but they were not successful as the 46-year-old died of his injuries.
It just feels like he’s going to be loved from every direction: Symonds’ daughter Chloe
“It just feels like he’s going to be loved from every direction like he’s going to be loved from everyone. I know he didn’t like anything big, and it’s not a big grandstand, so he would probably have loved that,” said Symonds’ 10-year-old daughter as quoted by a cricket news website.
Symonds’ son Will (Eight years) said he remembered spending hours with his dad at the nets at Riverway Stadium.
“We used to have this tennis ball machine that he used to feed balls to me … we used to bat them all day. I miss all of that about him and I wish I could have said goodbye to him. (With the grandstand) I’ll always remember it now, he’s always up there and he’s looking down on me.”
Riverway Stadium recently hosted its first-ever international series played between Australia and Zimbabwe in August. A tribute ceremony for Symonds was also conducted where Symonds family members walked to the pitch and laid his baggy green, bat, his Akubra hat, a fishing rod, and a crab pot at the wickets. Symonds son and daughter also carried drinks for the home team during the opening game of the series.
Symonds’ mother Barbara said the grandstand would help to glorify the legacy of her son. “He was just my boy who loved playing cricket. But to know that he was loved so much by so many people, it makes you very proud,” she said.
