A month ago today I was asked by Doc’s Partner, Annie, to deliver a eulogy at Doc’s funeral, and then again at his wake. Both times I declined as it all seemed so surreal and I simply didn’t have the strength. Some time has now passed, and today on the anniversary of Doc’s farewell I want to take the opportunity to share with you what I would have said. I first met Doc around 21 years ago. He was tall, handsome, cheeky, charismatic, intelligent, professional and very much a gentleman. He insisted we posed for photos while Jim Hilbun played the photographer. With Doc it was never “hi” then “bye”. Doc actually took an interest in his fans. He took the time to talk to them, sign merchandise and pose for photos. He even signed my entire back catalogue of cd’s which he asked me to post to him, then returned 6 months later all signed along with a 3 page letter. Over the coming years I saw The Angels many times and met Doc again on several occasions. But it wasn’t until 2007 when we exchanged numbers and became close friends. The more Doc and I talked, the more our friendship grew. He always made me feel welcome, invited me into his home and called me family. He had various names for me, Detective Deb, Webmaster, and more recently, Debbie. No one called me Debbie but he was an exception. In return I would call him Doctor Doc, Mr D and more recently Bernie. He hated being called Bernie, but demanded I call him this just over a year ago. One night he told me the story behind why he chose the name ‘Doc’. When he was a child he didn’t have many toys, so one of the things he played was Cowboys and Indians. Doc always wanted to be like ‘Doc Holliday’, the gunfighter with blazing guns and all. Hence why using the stage name ‘Doc’. But Bernard was very different to the Doc we saw onstage. Doc had many stories to tell and was a fantastic story teller. He would spend hours sharing his life with others who genuinely took an interest. We would mostly talk about the life of Bernard rather than Doc and the music. Sometimes I could never get a word in and when I did he would always correct me. He was a very intelligent man who read a lot and had the biggest home library I’d ever seen. Doc loved chocolate, especially chocolate macadamias. He also loved Hawaiian pizza. One night we shared a pizza and there were only two slices left. I watched as he peeled back the topping of one slice and put it on the other, before taking a big bite. He looked at me, then the toppingless slice as if to say, That’s yours! He joked around a lot when he answered the phone, pretending I had rung a pizza bar or restaurant to the point where I thought I had the wrong number. He would sing songs midway through a story or pick up his guitar and strum a tune turning it into a song. He even wrote a song about my father when he was a victim of a hit and run. Doc was a very giving man who had class and never did things by half. He always made special events important and would often buy flowers and Moet or Johnnie Walker Black for Birthdays and Christmas. He loved red roses. He would also sing Happy Birthday on the phone in deep bass tones right through including the Hip, Hip Hoorays. He and Annie even made a special trip to Adelaide for my farewell drinks when I moved interstate. In 2008 I purchased some photographic equipment and Doc asked me to take photos of The Angels. I then continued photographing his ‘Doc Solo’ gigs which lead him to inviting me on tour with his band as he supported Motley Crue. A memory I will never forget. Doc was never one to be on time. One particular morning Doc’s tour manager and I went to pick him up from his house on the way to the airport. Doc had cooked an egg and bacon breakfast stack but was yet to eat it, so I wrapped it up and told him to take it with him. A short time after we got in the car Doc turned to me and said, “After all that I forgot my breakfast”. Doc had to make a stop at the Chemist, we parked around the corner and waited for him. He came back laughing, and I asked what was so funny. He then told me that he went to pay for his medications he pulled his breakfast out of his pocket instead of his wallet. Computers were never a friend of Doc’s. He wanted to have a Facebook account but didnt know how to go about it so he asked me to help. We set up ‘Doc Neeson Solo’ and then ‘Doc Neeson – The Voice of The Angels’ when he hit the maximum friend quota. Doc would dictate what he wanted on his Facebook page. This became quite frustrating as on many occasions it would take an hour just to get a paragraph down. Sometimes that paragraph was never posted. Doc was a perfectionist and many hours were spent on the phone typing and editing to get it right. Doc cared a lot about his fans and wanted to keep in touch with them, and this was the best way he knew how. He received all his fans messages and comments which were made into books. He read all of them, some two and three times. He was overwhelmed with what he read and found it very difficult to respond. Doc often came up with crazy and eccentric plans for us to conquer the world. It was well out of my league, but Doc was so convincing and assured me we could make it happen. In the early hours of one morning Doc called with an idea that he and I would get on the Olympic Games Committee and change the way they conducted the games. He talked non-stop for 4 hours until the sun came up. Unfortunately we were never able to follow it through. Around 2 years ago Doc began calling almost every night. He would always ask how I was and would play ‘Doctor Doc’ to try fix me even when he was so sick himself. I had been ill for some time and Doc tried everything he could to help me. He wanted to know every little detail and always came up with a radical solution. He even offered to fly down to Adelaide to assist me. Doc always put others first and did whatever he could to help. He was a very kind hearted and caring person. Mr D is sorely missed. I miss his smile, his hugs, his calls, his jokes, his advice and just hearing his voice on the phone. I keep thinking one day the phone will ring and it will be him. The last thing Doc said to me was, “Thank You for everything you have done for me Deb, I love you”. Well Doc, I love you too! We knew this day would come but I never thought it would hit this hard. The tears havent stopped flowing. Thanks for all the memories and thanks for all the opportunities you gave me. You trusted me to look after some of your private affairs and for that I am grateful. I miss our chats. You made me laugh and you made me cry. You taught me things I didnt know. You told me many a story about the real Bernard ‘Doc’ Neeson which I will never forget. You helped me through the toughest times of my life and guided me to where I needed to be. I just wish I had the power to do the same. You fought to the very end and now you are free from pain. Rest in Peace with the Angels above. Love Always. Deb xx
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 14:34:20 +0000