An Unexpected Friendship: How We Met Eddie & Rob

I would like to share a story with you. This a story about an unexpected friendship and I have been meaning to share it with you all for a long time now.

2016 was a shit year. So shit. In fact 2015 and 2016 were back to back shit years. My husband’s identical twin brother – Dave – died suddenly from a heart attack, aged 46. I mean what do I even say about that… what can you say? I can’t even imagine losing my sister let alone a twin – an exact replica and DNA match, more than a best friend, it is your other half. We could talk about this for hours but that isn’t my story to tell so instead I would like to tell you about the new friendships made in the wake of such a sad situation.

It is two years since we lost Dave.

Immediately following Dave’s death the Coroner kept calling Mr Chardy and telling him he needed to get his heart checked RIGHT AWAY. So, that we did! Thankfully DD & Rexy were on their way to stay with us for a few weeks, following the funeral. So, as soon as they arrived we left. We jumped in the car and headed for Brisbane.

Now this story takes many turns and there is a lot to it so hang in there.

As we know DD has a saying: “it is better to be born lucky than rich” and we all know DD is always right. As it would turn out Dave’s partners sister (are you still with me) – Ruby – babysits and lives next door to a Cardiologist in Brisbane – lets call him Adam, because that’s his name. When Adam the Cardiologist found out what had happened he told Ruby to give Mr Chardy his number and insisted Mr Chardy call him straight away – anytime.

Of course, before we called I did what any normal human would do and I Googled Adam.   I mean, I only wanted the best for my husband and … yet again… we sure were lucky.   Adam got the tick of approval after some serious stalking and as luck would have it he was the “Director of Cardiac Sciences” at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.   Oh and we should actually be calling him Professor Adam. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!! How on earth do such fabulous people come into our lives? HOW??? Tick, I think he will do, Mr Chardy can call him.

So Mr Chardy called the Professor and they chatted for ages. Turns out Adam is an identical twin too (for the love of god, are you serious?) and he just wanted to help in any way he could. Well help he did… I like to call people like the Professor “LAXATIVES” because they just make shit happen. He had Mr Chardy sorted in no time.   He would arrange for Mr Chardy to see Dr Andrew and have back to back appointments in Brisbane over 2 days – full set of thorough tests.   Basically all we had to do was get to Brisbane and the rest would be sorted.

Now, where was I up to… oh that’s right – jumping in the car. Off we went Brisbane bound. We were sure Mr Chardy was going to have to, at the very least, have a stent put in or perhaps bi-pass surgery. Heart disease is in his family – his Dad has had more heart surgeries than I’ve had roast dinners and I am sure he has 9 lives. So we were pretty nervous about what these tests would show and we just wanted it over with.

We decided to have a couple of nights at our favourite hotel in Brisbane – The Stamford Plaza and after that we were going to stay with our good friend – Di.  She is an absolute champ and one of our best friends.  Here she is, on the right, with another one of our beautiful friends – Hannah.

The first day of tests involved dye being put though Mr Chardy’s body for the MRI (I think I have that right… it was some sort of scan). Well it made him really crook. On the morning we were due to check out he couldn’t even drag himself out of bed. Then Di remembered she was going to be housesitting but we were absolutely welcome to stay with her in the housesitting house.

We had become quite comfortable at the Stamford and were considering staying there another night. We felt a little uncomfortable becoming squatters in some stranger’s house, like homeless people. Well that was until Di sent us a photo of the view…

Um… no, second thoughts, I think we will be ok there, lock us in please.

The story gets better so hang in there my friends. So as we are driving out to Brookfield – where we would be staying – Di tells us that Edwina (who will be named Eddie from here on in) is actually still at the house as she wasn’t able to board the plane to Vietnam with her husband Rob.

How embarrassing, as if it couldn’t get any worse… staying in a strangers house and one of them was still there. That is a long story but Rob was on his way to Vietnam and Eddie had to wait and go that night…

Well we turn up to this stunning mansion – circular driveway, horses in paddocks – heaven on earth and meet Eddie. Then Di tells us “don’t worry: Eddie used to be a cardiac nurse” – GET OUT OF TOWN – and we soon found out she is also one of the most welcoming, warm, kind hearted people we have ever met.

Remember, Mr Chardy was as crook as a dog so we were taken straight to the Pool Cabana area and Mr Chardy was tucked into the lounge with a pillow & blanket.

Eddie was taking his pulse and calling the hospital to make sure he was ok. Their Labrador – Lucy – didn’t leave his side…. Mr Chardy calls her his “assistance dog”.

You know how you sometimes meet those people who you just click with. The kind of person you feel like you have known forever.   Well Eddie is one of those people. Di kept saying how alike we were and she was right, we just clicked.

Before you could say “I love your house” she was handing me a glass of bubbly…. Um excuse me, yes YES YES!!! Stamford, what Stamford… this resort was way better. Drinks on arrival and our own nurse – POOLSIDE. We had found OUR PEOPLE! Yes, I knew we were going to be very happy in our new home.

I always believe that things happen for a reason… and that day there was a reason why Eddie couldn’t get on that plane. She knew we needed her more than that resort in Vietnam.

Eddie welcomed us into her home like we were family “you make yourselves at home – this is your house now” she would say. Then we waved her off so she could head to the airport and meet Rob in Vietnam. Take two of her departure.

That day was the EKKA public holiday so we had to wait a whole day between tests before we could see the Cardiologist and get the results. The next morning Mr Chardy was still so sick (from the dye/MRI) and didn’t want to get out of bed. There was no way we were missing that Cardiologist appointment, I threw him a packet of Gastrostop and told him to eat up and get out of bed, we were leaving. We had to find out if he was ok. We just had to.

So off we went, pretty sceptical about what we were about to find out.

Once again the Doctor we saw couldn’t have been nicer. Dr Andrew was a champ. He had Dave’s results and shared those with us. 3 of Dave’s arteries had a 90% blockage! So when he said: “Your heart is perfect” we couldn’t believe our ears. We were not ready for that. We were gobsmacked.

When we left the surgery and got to our car I phoned the Brookfield Doctors Surgery and made myself an appointment. You see I was as crook as a dog. I was guessing I had bronchitis because I was coughing like a maniac and had to sleep on 6 pillows each night… things weren’t good. Neither Mr Chardy or I were really getting much sleep with my cough cough coughing.   I should have called the RFDS before I left home but of course I didn’t.

I thought I just needed some antibiotics and I would be right – see the doctor, get the medicine and we would be able to head home to the NT, right?  So the next day I headed to the doctor. They weren’t so sure and sent me for a chest X-Ray.   As it turns out I actually had pneumonia and was really quite sick, I would need quite a bit of physio. Of course they had a physio in house so she saw me that afternoon. Anne – the Physio – was an absolute legend too. She looked at my results and told me I was a very sick young lady. No, I just have a cough, I’ll be right. We have to head home to the NT I told her.

Turns out I was kidding myself. She told me I was lucky I wasn’t in hospital and I couldn’t head home until she had belted this hard mass of phlegm off my chest – I would need physio each day for at least a week and she squeezed me in every single afternoon and even came in especially on the weekend. Of course she did! Remember what DD say’s – “better to be born lucky than rich”.

So after finding this out Mr Chardy decided he would drive back home to the NT and I would stay in Brookie until I was better and then fly home. So that is what we did.

I settled into the Brookie Mans (as I like to call it) with Di and recovered in style.

Each evening I would head to the surgery for my “daily beating” in the torture chamber. By god that physio hurt! They put me on a really strong 3 day course of antibiotics and then the normal week of standard stuff. I then still needed another course.

I was still in Brisbane when Eddie and Rob were due to come home. Di told me she was heading back to her house to which I replied “I’m staying here, I have become accustomed to this lifestyle and am not leaving” and I didn’t. ha ha ha. So Eddie and Rob arrived home that night around 11 and I was still there!  Just hanging out with their daughter – Charlottle – who was in year 12. We were having a girl’s night & watching a movie like we were old friends.   It was too funny.  Of course Rob was just as welcoming and warm as Eddie.

Ed & Rob kept telling me that I just had to go the Brookfield Long Lunch with them, which was being held the next day. As you do – you know – get back from Vietnam at 11pm and then back it up by going to a long lunch with 900 of your closest friends the next day – with your new homeless friend who was still in your house when you arrived home. YES – THAT IS DEFINITELY WHAT YOU DO!

And that is exactly what we did. I didn’t know a single person (and lets be honest didn’t really know Eddie & Rob either) and kept trying to convince Di to go but she wouldn’t be in it. We went to watch Di’s boys play footy that day and Di was then heading to a school cocktail party that night. So she dropped me at the showgrounds and off I went… I trotted across that cricket field like I owned the place – fake it till you make it I say.

I kept messaging Eddie to try and find out where they were sitting – remember there were 900 people at this “Long Lunch” and I looked like a total spare just hanging out on the cricket field by myself, but like I said: fake it till you make it. There was a sea of white shade umbrellas and people mingling around beautiful tables, eating and drinking. Just when I thought I would have to hot foot it to the bar and just hang out by myself they found me. I was seated and introduced to a bunch of absolute legends. Rob placed a glass of French Champagne firmly in my hand to which I proclaimed “I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE”.  I really had!

I proceeded to have the best afternoon ever and met so many wonderful people and I now call some of them my friends. Yes I am looking at you Stephie and Gina!  I also met so many people that knew Mr Chardy, such a small world.  Of course the next day I thought the right thing to do was to introduce Eddie & Rob to a Japanese Slipper…

I know this story just goes on and on but I forgot to tell you that Mr Chardy actually grew up in Brookfield. Well from year 9 onwards. He went to pony club at that very showground where the Long Lunch was held and every time we used to go to Brisbane he would take me for a quick drive around Brooky. It never really made sense to me, and as we drove around I would say “I know, that is the Brooky Store, oh and there is the Produce Agency on and I know… you helped build that fence around the showground and you used to do Pony Club there”.

Suddenly I got it. I got why he loved this suburb that was more like a country town than part of a big city. Brookfield is unique. It is a real community, has a real country vibe to it and I just love it. I get it now – I understand why he used to bang on about it.

So now this is our home away from home and as luck would have it they are just a 20 minute drive from Tom’s Boarding School.

I went back last year for the Brooky Long Lunch.  We now call Ed  & Rob’s our Brooky B&B and love staying with them when we are in Brisbane.

We are like old friends now, it is just crazy.  There is nothing better than coming together around the kitchen bench, cooking up a storm together over a glass of bubbly or enjoying one of their many soirees poolside.  We are quite at home here!

So thanks Di – thanks for introducing us to your friends – Eddie & Rob. From a dreadful situation came a unexpected, beautiful friendship.

They say people come into your lives for a reason, season or a lifetime. I reckon that Eddie & Rob are here for a lifetime, well I hope they are anyway. It goes without saying that Di definitely is!

To Di, Eddie & Rob –  you have no idea how much your warmth and kindness means to us. Can’t wait for our next visit to Brooky. xxx

*** I have actually just roped Eddie into coming up to help with one of Mrs Savvy B’s Trek West Hikes next week.  Shelly’s number one offsider had a horse accident a couple of weeks ago and is out of action, so we had to find a new helper.  Of course Eddie has dropped everything to come and help.  She really does have wings and is such an angel.  I am then heading back down to Brisbane with her for a spot of day surgery (which she has arranged because she is my private nurse as well) – you all know how I love a bit of day surgery! ***