The following is an extract from a letter written on 15th February 2021 by MED to the Secretary of the I Zingari Cricket Club (Australia):
“The Willows Cricket Club wishes to express our grateful appreciation to the I Zingari Community. Specifically, our thanks to IZer Mark Hodge for his care and compassion given to the Hawke family in their time of tragedy. Mark stood shoulder to shoulder and assumed complete responsibility on behalf of the Rev Mike Hawke, Dean of Nelson Cathedral and his wife Patsy.
It was as a result of an aneurism that their son Peter, aged 42, died suddenly on returning to his apartment in Sydney. Medical assistance was rendered immediately but regretfully Peter passed away. For the family, this situation, happening in another country and with no support, is an unbearable thought.
Padded up within minutes of being asked, Mark and his team reacted spontaneously with utmost care and empathy for the Hawkes. No bureaucratic requirement was left unattended in getting Peter’s ashes home.
Thank you Mark. May you face or bowl to Mike Hawke, himself a former rep cricketer for South Canterbury, when next IZ visit New Zealand.”