A humble servant takes centre stage on hallowed turf
“IF you surround yourself with stars you’ll shine.”
Frank Costa had a few favourite sayings. That one was near the top of the list.
On Wednesday, the stars who surrounded Frank Costa came to bask in his reflected glow for the final time.
There were tycoons, powerbrokers, footy stars and a sprinkling of celebrity. Some past, some present.
But they were outnumbered by hundreds of everyday people whose lives Mr Costa touched.
Some recalled buying their weekly fruit and veg’ at his Moorabool Street fruit shop moons ago. Others spoke about him lending support to their community group or charitable cause. Almost everyone remembered that Sunday afternoon at the end of September, 2007, when Mr Costa stood, shining, in the middle of Kardinia Park, his arms outstretched, embracing the warm glow of 35,000 delirious Cats fans and the premiership chalice.
Later, Mr Costa would classify that day as the 10th-best of his life.
To most, that might seem a bit low on the list.
But, with a beautiful bride by his side for more than 60 years and eight happily married daughters, Frank got the rankings just right.
It was impossible not to think back to those 2007 celebrations at Wednesday’s state memorial service for Mr Costa.
For a start, it was on the same hallowed turf, albeit with grandstands and light towers that cast shadows that did not exist 14 years ago.
Geelong has Mr Costa to thank for that.
His charm, gentle persistence and immense influence made the stadium rebuild possible.
Later this year the final stage of that project will begin.
It will be a mighty legacy.
But Father Kevin Dillon said the scenes at Kardinia Park on
September 30, 2007, were Mr Costa’s greatest gift to Geelong.
“The biggest smile of all was Frank’s,” he remembered.
“He was so proud and thankful that that cup, for so many reasons, was in Geelong. Most of all for what it meant, and was giving, to the people of Geelong.
“The smiles of the people right here, among the faces of people in hospitals and nursing homes and any number of other ordinary people across Geelong … those smiles meant the world to Frank because it was that connection with the ordinary person that meant so much to him.”
Cats CEO Brian Cook walked into Kardinia Park on that Sunday sideby-side with Mr Costa, his fatherfigure and confidante.
Together, they heard countless Geelong fans pledge they’d now die happy.
“And they were serious,” he said. Mr Cook said the 100m walk from the president’s car park to the VIP entry at Kardinia Park routinely took Mr and Mrs Costa half an hour or more as he was so often stopped by thankful fans. “Autographs, chats, handshaking, photos. He was a rock star,” Mr Cook said.
“He was often late to his speech nights, but he was very seldom late to a game. I actually think he planned for that 30 minutes … he loved the fans and he loved talking to them.” And he loved the Cats players. In 20-plus years watching games together, Mr Cook said he never heard Mr Costa criticise a player.
That love of the club stretched right back to the 1940s when young Frank Costa was occasionally freed of duty at the family fruit store and allowed to skip 800m down Moorabool Street to stand on the wing at Kardinia Park and marvel at his heroes in action.
On Wednesday, the roles reversed.
Geelong’s stars of 2021 — and many from years gone by — sat on the wing at that same ground, while in the centre square, Frank Costa shone bright.