Stan Sharkey - The Man (Part 1)

We all know that when someone we care about gets a diagnosis of dementia, that sometimes it’s hard to think about anything else; that everything from that moment on becomes about their care, because it’s so important to their wellbeing. But like we’ve touched on in previous episodes, really knowing a person is a great place to start caring for them. After all, a dementia diagnosis isn’t a person’s whole life story, and it doesn’t have to be their defining character trait or legacy if we don’t want it to be. And with that in mind, we wanted to talk about Stan.

Stanley Sharkey, affectionately referred to as Stan by most who knew him, was a man of many talents, ambitions, and passions. He lived for the ideals of fairness and hard work, he lived for the underdog, and he lived for his family and loved ones. Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing Stan will also tell you he lived for the South Sydney Rabbitohs – a detail we’ll delve into a bit later. Over the years of his life, he built a name and reputation on the principle of a good and honourable fight – something to be respected and admired. And that was no easy feat. But in spite of every career milestone, every life goal achieved, he still saw himself as just a man from humble beginnings. And it’s where we’re starting off in this 3 part series, with the help of his daughter, Emma and her newborn son Cooper (who was eager to join in on the conversation)...

We’d like to show our respect and acknowledge the traditional custodians of these lands. We extend this respect to elders’ past, present, and emerging, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We also pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living with dementia and their carers.

We’d like to thank Stan’s daughter, Emma for her contribution in the making of this episode, in recognition of Dementia Action Week. Dementia Dialogues with DTA is produced and funded by Dementia Training Australia. For more information about DTA and our training opportunities, tools and resources please visit dta.com.au. For more information about the podcast, please contact [email protected] or engage with us on our social media platforms – Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram.

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