Dad nearly missed the big moment

Brad Kingsbury
PETER Goldsack almost did not get to see his newly drafted son Tyson become a Collingwood player, after he was rushed to hospital in Adelaide after a freak motorbike accident recently.
The fit 51year old joined good mate Ian Cherry on a motorbike riding holiday on Melbourne Cup weekend at a property near Broken Hill in New South Wales, that ended with him being ferried by the flying doctor to Royal Adelaide Hospital with a head injury.
He remained in hospital, lapsing in and out of consciousness for a week, before suddenly ‘waking up’, being discharged into the care of his wife Wendy and returning to Pakenham to recover.
Peter also broke his arm in the fall and sustained plenty of bumps and bruises, but acknowledged he was lucky given he was not wearing a helmet at the time.
“I’ve always ridden motorbikes and Ian took me up to this place he’s been going to for something like 25 years for a bit of fun,” he said.
“My bike blew up the second day I was there, but we got another bike going and used that for the next four days.
“I was riding out of a paddock on a friend’s property about an hour out of Broken Hill and that’s all I can remember. Ian told me that about 12 minutes later I was scooting along a track and an emu stepped out from behind a bush straight in front of me.
“Me and the bike ended up about 20 metres apart and I hit the dirt hard. I got a fair crack on the head and had seven stitches and I broke a bone at the top of my elbow,” he said.
“Apparently I was saying to everyone I was alright but I don’t remember anything until I woke up in hospital and saw Ian. The flying doctor flew me down to Adelaide and I don’t remember any of it. The bang on the head must have knocked me around a bit but I suppose I was lucky really.”
Peter is coming good slowly and getting around well now, but pain was the last thing on his mind after Tyson was drafted by Collingwood on Saturday, giving him and the family agreat lift.
Peter said it was a great thrill, although he will have to get used to the idea of supporting Collingwood.
“We were listening to it and thought maybe there wasn’t much chance and then we hear pick 63 and bang ‘Tyson Goldsack’, it was magnificent,” he said.
“I’m trying to change a little bit,” the Geelong supporter of 38 years. “When ‘Daisy’ (Dale Thomas) and Scott Pendlbury were drafted last year that knocked the edge off it and I watched a bit of Collingwood because of that. I’ll get used to it I suppose,” he laughed.