I’m really fond of this photograph, even more so now my dad’s gone. It’s the three of us – me, my dad and my brother – at the Prieshach in Hopeman on Christmas Day, 2005. My wife took the picture. We’d all gone for a morning walk along the shore until we reached this beautiful golf hole with its frosted green. I suggested we jump and we jumped, my wife capturing the moment forever: The Sutherlands at the Prieshach.
Two brothers and their dad, father and sons, reaching for the sky. My brother punching the air, me raising my legs to exaggerate my leap, dad just about achieving lift off. Or perhaps he’d jumped ahead of us and was about to land. In terms of the overall picture, I see all of our lives. It makes me feel happy, sad, grateful, regretful.
How much I’d give to be able to play golf again with my dad. Some of my fondest memories concern the Prieshach, that perfect par three with the dramatic drop from tee to green. Mainly I recall those moments after we teed off, when we’d crack open a beer or have a dram. This was the ritual. And we’d sit on the bench and look out to sea and talk about whatever came to mind or sometimes we’d say nothing much at all. Total contentedness. Perfect times.
It’s best to seize these moments. That Christmas morning when we jumped for the camera, we weren’t thinking about the future. We thought it might make a funny picture. But as well as playing it for laughs, we were demonstrating something: our pride, our togetherness, our love for each other and for Hopeman. Cherishing life and showing it. I can see it in our eyes. No photograph I have shows it more, so I thought I’d share it. It’s a reminder of my dad, but also of how great life is.
Connections
