Andrew IRONSIDE Obituary

My name is Agustin Cristal, I'm from Córdoba (Argentina). I met Andrew when I had the opportunity to work as a baggage handler at Queenstown Airport in 2006 (I was 18 at the time). One day a Rolling Stones song was playing at work and Andrew saw me sing it, and that was when we became friends. He invited me to his house and showed me his endless Stones collection. I'll never forget. I don't know how I got here today, but today I'm 37 years old and I still remember him and how selflessly he offered me his friendship. Rest in peace, Andrew, it's only rock and roll but I like it!!

I met Andrew back when he was working as a baggage handler at Queenstown Airport and I was a Taxi Operator in Queenstown. I believe I had The Allman Brothers Band playing when Andrew first rode in my taxi, and that was all it took. Music is something I'm passionate about, but I'd never met anyone as knowledgeable and passionate about music as Andrew. A friendship quickly formed, and I would often go to Andrews flat on Fern Hill to see his music collection and talk about our favorite bands. (It probably cost me a few jobs, but it was worth it. He had so many anecdotes about his experiences at live concerts, and meeting various musicians. It was mostly all we talked about when he saw Anne and I in Cromwell, or we saw him at Tennyson St in Chch.
It came as a shock yesterday, when we arrived home from an overseas holiday, that I found an email from Paul and Jane Lascelles from Santa Barbara telling us the bad news. Paul was also a taxi operator and Jane worked at Queenstown airport and were both good friends of Andrew (and Anne and I). My biggest sadness is that Andrew never found his true vocation, and that most of the world will never know just how much musical knowledge was lost with him. That half hour as a DJ meant so much to him. Goodbye Andrew, we'll all miss you, but rest in the knowledge that you've made our lives much richer.