Surprise medal presentation reconnects former league player with treasured memories

When John Sullivan’s former teammates surprised him with his North Sydney Bears Player Medal during a pub lunch at the Miriam Vale Hotel, he’d never been so animated.

As soon as he laid eyes on Gary Larson and Mark Graham, John was transported back to his rugby league playing days in the late 1960s.

It was special to witness for John’s partner, Lee, who has been caring for him since his dementia diagnosis last year.

“As soon as he saw them he said, ‘Here are a couple of old footballers,’” Lee said. “It was very moving. He was really proud.”

A few weeks on, with his medal kept in pride of place in their lounge room, John’s memory of that day hasn’t faded.

“He still talks about it, and he still looks at his medal,” Lee said. “It's a constant reminder of a good time for him.”

It all started when John and Lee connected with IMPACT Community Health Service (ICHS) nurse Brett in his Dementia Support Group.

As rugby league fans, Brett and John hit it off from the moment they met.

“He’s from New South Wales and I’m a Queenslander, so we had great conversations,” Brett said.

Before long, Brett put John and Lee in touch with Carlye, who runs ICHS’s Social Prescription program.

After learning about John's lifelong connection to rugby league, Carlye connected the family with Family of League to make the surprise medal presentation a reality.

“It felt really good to make someone so happy,” Carlye said.

After the get-together, Lee returned to ICHS to present Carlye and Brett with gifts of their own: a selection of cakes and a heartfelt card. She said that people like them deserve to be acknowledged.

“They feel more like family,” Lee said. “It was like the sun coming out when I went to IMPACT. It's a learning curve, and they make that easier.”