tom’s story
“Part-time ninja, full-time athlete.”
Thomas Lewis Mathias was an extremely talented young person and winter athlete. He tragically died of melanoma on the 6th January, 2009. He was 23 years old.
He was destined for the world skiing stage.
Tom’s introduction to the sport was unconventional. Competitive skiing in Australia is tough enough and he was introduced at the “late” age of 13. This introduction came via the Buller Race Club in 1998, where Tom, a “shy, un-athletic kid” found himself competing against peers who had been skiing for over 5 years. His future coach, Ivan Pacak, took a shine to him and invited Tom to ski with him in Austria and Slovakia that northern winter for 5 weeks. Tom’s parents, Jim and Julie, being well traveled, were keen to give Tom the best opportunities available. By now a ‘gangly and uncoordinated’ adolescent, Tom took to the sport with enthusiasm and his coach soon saw a raw talent in him. He was a natural but despite his terrible technique entered in a race that winter in Slovakia where he surprised everyone by coming fourth.
Tom continued to train and compete with the Mt Buller Race Club amongst forty or so junior skiers including “isft.” ambassadors Mike Rishworth and Katya Crema. Such was his talent and drive that it did not take him long to catch up with these much more experienced kids. He made huge progress in a very short time.
As captain of the Melbourne Grammar School Ski Team he made his first big win, aged 17, at the Australian Inter-Schools in giant slalom and from then on he was consistently placed top 3 in Australian FIS junior races. He was soon recognised as a prodigious talent and based on accrued FIS points was included in the Australian junior squad. Tom supplemented his training with other sports such as soccer, which he took to with similar enthusiasm bordering on obsession.
Tom went on to study his undergraduate Commerce and Arts degree while living at Trinity College, University of Melbourne. Here he made many friends and developed his other sporting endeavours. In 2006 while actively competing, on the back of having found out he would represent Australia at the World University Games, Tom was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. He still went to Italy to compete. This would be the last time he would wear the green and gold.
After 2 years of multiple surgeries, hospital admissions, chemotherapy and radiation he died amongst family and friends at his home in Melbourne. In such a short time, melanoma took our friend, capable of everything above and left him reliant on full-time nursing care. We acknowledge Tom’s unrelenting stoicism in the face of such an unwinnable battle.
“Not once did Tom complain. Not once. Not once did we see anything but a courageous smile, or hear a mischievous comment or a laugh and, as a result, we remain completely overwhelmed by Tom’s unwavering courage”
(Tom’s eulogy 2009)
“i ski for tommy.” represents an attempt at creating something good out of what was simply something unfair and bad. We’ll forever miss Tom and never forget the way in which he enriched our lives.
Co-authored by John Taverner and Mark Cicchiello
With thanks to Ivan Pacak
