Goodnight, Frank

Frank Roberts died suddenly of a heart attack yesterday. Almost immediately the tributes began flowing in for a man who came to the world’s attention as a young boxer and continued to contribute much to his community through sport. On Australia day this year he was honoured with the Mayor’s Special Contribution to the Community Award in his home town of Armidale.

“He’s been contributing to our community and the wider community for at least 40 years, teaching children values and just being a very great mentor to a lot of people in our city,” says Armidale Dumaresq Mayor Peter Ducat.

“He’s been a great leader in youth, and the examples I’ve seen is the work that he’s been doing teaching kids boxing, teaching them fitness, teaching them to share and respect; all of those values we need.”

Frank Roberts was a mentor to a man who as a 16 year was thrilled at the thought of being taught boxing by an Olympian.

The now Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay recalls first meeting the great Frank Roberts.

“He was a tough trainer but a very beautiful man,” recalls Mr Torbay, who has paid his respects to the family of Frank Roberts.

He says he is profoundly sad.

“What a range of achievements, I never for one day stopped admiring and seeing the enormous way that people responded to his tremendous affection for them, and yet he was a boxing champion.”

“I remember hundreds of training sessions with Frank, and he was such a great man, and he taught us not to fight in many ways, but kept us fit and kept us training, and just had this fantastic empathy for other people.”

Frank Roberts came from the North Coast originally, born in 1945 at Cubawee near Tuncester. A huge extended family still lives in the area.

For the past 40 years however his home has been Armidale, where he has been a boxing trainer both at the Armidale Police Boys Club and the University of New England Sports Union.

He’s been a trainer and mentor at the Matar Boxing Club since 1997.

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