Belief that ‘you can’t do wrong, doing right’

TRUCKING magnate Lindsay Fox reckons his long-time mate Frank Costa would have been filled with pride that his state memorial funeral service concluded with the Cats’ premiership cups being escorted through a guard of honour formed by the players.

The moment was not only symbolic for the success those 2007, 2009, and 2011 cups represent, but also for the involvement of Mark “Bomber” Thompson as one of the three escorts.

Drug possession convictions in 2019 have stained the reputation of the club’s droughtbreaking premiership coach, but Mr Costa’s generosity of spirit and willingness to give people a second chance was one of the themes of the service.

“Frank was a very special individual who never said a bad word about anyone,” Mr Fox said.

“With his workmates, with people in trouble, that is when Frank was at his best.”

Mr Fox said Mr Costa would have been proud that Mr Thompson, 2011 premiership coach Chris Scott and current captain Joel Selwood carried the cups off the ground in honour of the club’s newly crowned legend.

Earlier, Fox — the Linfox chairman — had choked back tears during a eulogy that touched on the values by which his friend of more than 50 years had navigated life.

“His belief in life was that you can’t do wrong, doing right,” Mr Fox said.

He said the people who turned out in force for the service had done so to pay their respects to the Costa family, who he described as “the greatest people that this town of Geelong has ever produced”.

“Frank has gone, it’s a new era from here on in,” Mr Fox said.

“But the kids of his and their children and the children’s children will carry his bloodstream for another four to five generations.”

The tributes to Mr Costa from Australia’s business elite continued outside the stadium.

Former Western Bulldogs president David Smorgon recalled the “friendly rivalry” that evolved during his and Mr

Costa’s overlapping footy club reigns.

The two had known each other since the mid-80s when they were in the Young Presidents’ Organisation, but it was through that shared time in footy that their relationship became closer.

“Frank was the only president that when you played at their home ground, you would sit next to Frank during the game,” Mr Smorgon said.

“Usually you were seated 10 or 12 rows out the back and you couldn’t see the game, but with Frank, he was that sort of guy — you were sitting sort of alongside him.

“I remember the first experience, you didn’t even want to yell out ‘Go Bulldogs’, you felt as if you had to say ‘Go Cats’, because Frank was there and it was his domain.”

Mr Smorgon said he last saw Mr Costa about 18 months ago, when interviewing him while on a panel for a fundraising organisation.

“Frank was his normal self,” Mr Smorgon said.

“He was open, he was talking to a lot of younger people about what life was all about, what you had to do to be successful, and the enormous responsibility of giving back to the community, of which he is a prime example.

“It was a wonderful experience for everybody to just listen to some of Frank’s rules for life.”

Fast food king Jack Cowin, the owner of Hungry Jacks, was another of Australia’s most successful business leaders to pay tribute to Mr Costa.

“Frank Costa was a great human being who was a role model for me in business and personal life,” Mr Cowin said in a statement.

“He will be greatly missed.”