ROCK ON, CHIC
> FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FANS GATHER AT EXHIBITION PARK IN CANBERRA TO FAREWELL MR SUMMERNATS
CANBERRA turned on a fine, crisp autumn day on 6 May to see off one of the city’s most prominent figures, Anthony Robert ‘Chic’ Henry. An event organiser to the last, Chic stage-managed his celebration of life down to the last detail.
It was held in the Budawang Pavilion, better known to most Street Machine Summernats fans as the Elite Hall. Outside was a mini car show, which featured some prominent vehicles from the history of the Summernats and its predecessor, the Street Machine Nationals, including Chic’s famous ’62 Impala, Peter Fitzpatrick’s FC, Gary and Jake Myers’s Mustang and Glenn Munday’s HQ SS.
The service was attended by many hundreds of Chic’s family and friends, including Summernats staff and entrants, colleagues from Canberra Health Services, and politicians including ACT
Attorney-general Shane Rattenbury, ACT Liberal leader Elizabeth Lee and ACT Police Minister Mick Gentleman.
Long-time mate and former Rare Spares general manager David Rayner acted as the MC. “Chic’s life was one of fearlessness in everything he took on,” he said. “Regardless of the obstacles, Chic faced them head on. We will all miss that fun-loving fearlessness, that drive and determination and his genuine delight in making other people happy. Chic treated everyone equally and without prejudice. He loved his family and was totally devoted to them.”
Another long-standing friend, Summernats’s Owen Webb, spoke about Chic’s generous, caring and loyal nature. “Chic changed so many people’s lives,” he said. “He gave so many enthusiasts a platform, something to strive for and look forward to each year. He’d be blown away by the outpouring of grief […] and things that have been said since his passing.”
A highlight was an audio-visual presentation narrated by Chic, which took us through some of his favourite songs and what each one meant to him at different points of his life, ranging from tunes by Wanda Jackson and The Faces through to Billy Thorpe and Iron Maiden. He even slotted in one of his trademark jokes and encouraged the crowd with the words: “Let’s not be sad; let’s celebrate!”
Afterwards, we formed a guard of honour for Chic’s hearse as it took him on a final lap of Exhibition Park. The procession included Chic’s ’62 driven by long-time Summernats competitor and official Matt Abood, and was topped off with farewell skids by Gary Myers and Peter Fitzpatrick in front of the burnout-pad grandstand that now bears Chic’s name.