Chris Potts

EULOGY FOR CHRIS: Chris was something of an enigma. On one hand Chris was charming, deeply introspective, charismatic, witty and dangerously personable. On the other he was, in every sense of the word, someone who never did things by halves. Chris threw himself into life with the sort of reckless abandon befitting of an immortal 25 year old, not a middle-aged man. Whether something wholesome like learning how to make the perfect sourdough or crafting the ultimate bolognaise sauce, something epic like travelling the world or traversing the high seas at the helm of a yacht, or something deeply intellectual - he did it all at 110% - with a passion and enthusiasm that infected anyone he crossed paths with. Like quite a few people here I first met Chris at DDB Sydney in 2001 - we were part of the McDonald’s account team… me, Ethnie, Batters, Joe, JP, Jodene, Danelle. It’s a testament to Chris that, 25 years later, we’re all still here today to celebrate his life. We were a tight group of friends who had way more fun at work than we were probably entitled to, and it was the start of an amazing friendship that would last almost three decades and traverse multiple continents. My friendship with Chris really grew when my wife Sarah and I moved to New York, not long after Chris and Carla relocated there from Sydney. We stayed with them at their Worth St apartment when we first arrived in NY, and eventually ended up living a few blocks away in West Village. Many of my fondest memories of Chris are from those times. Riding through the streets of NY to Chris and Carla’s apartment in Tribeca for our weekly Taco Tuesday and Greys Anatomy catch up. Meeting up on weekends in SoHo for brunch. Perhaps the only real misstep from that time, was one Sunday, when Chris and I were having coffee in East Village, and he spotted an adorable little Pomeranian puppy in the window of a pet store. Without a second thought (and with a frightening lack of foresight into the future responsibilities of pet ownership) he proclaimed ‘I’m going to buy that dog as a surprise for Carla, she’ll love it!’. As was always the case when Chris set his mind to something, my 30 minute campaign of dissuasion fell on deaf ears, and Carla became the reluctant mother to a yappy little fluff-ball called Atticus. What followed was many weekends of Chris and I walking Atticus around downtown Manhattan, replete with hot pink collar and bedazzled lead, as passers-by commented on how lucky Atticus was to have two such good looking fathers. Chris, Carla, Sarah and I explored all of New York together, finding the latest restaurants, lobster rolls at Pearl Oyster Bar, blue-cheese burgers at The Spotted Pig and numerous road-trips to the Hamptons and upstate New York. We were kid free and couple-strong, and it was an amazing time with Chris I’ll never forget. Sarah and I left New York and moved to Paris but we caught up every year, usually in the South of France over summer for long, lazy days of eating, drinking and swimming. Chris being Chris, negotiated house swaps with his New York apartment so we usually found ourselves living it up in beautiful villas overlooking the sparkling mediterranean. Each year we’d get together, our clan would grow - initially my two eldest daughters. Sometimes Manny would join us for the summer, and eventually a baby Noah and my youngest son Max joined the mix. Our expanding entourage only strengthened our relationship with Chris, and his growing family gave him another purpose in life. Even after we returned to Australia, Chris and Carla's house in Larchmont became our home away from home whenever Sarah and I were in New York. It was a place where Chris was always so welcoming and generous and at peace with himself. Chris was defined by his charisma and patience, a friend who was always there for you, even if he was 12,000km's away. And I think he saw so much of that in Carla as well. For us, it's impossible to think of Chris without thinking of Carla, and so I want to take a moment to acknowledge her as well. Carla was Chris' guiding light, his moral compass and often his get out of jail free card. She is an infinitely patient person, and the most positive presence I have ever met. Carla, because of you I know that Chris was a better person, and I wish you all the happiness you deserve in life. And Noah… I know speeches like this will provide little comfort in the wake of a tragedy like losing your father, but I know Chris’ spirit will live on through you and guide you to a similarly wonderful, rich and fulfilling life less ordinary. He was so very proud of you and the impressive young man you’re growing into. Chris lived many lives within his lifetime, so I don’t mourn that he left with experiences still to be lived, but Noah, I do mourn that your time together was cut short. But if I know anything about Chris, I know he’ll find a way to inspire you through a life well lived, filled with much happiness. So finally, while even today I sometimes ask myself “what would Chris do” and then prudently do the opposite, I know my life is much richer because of the person he was and everything he brought to the world. And for Dell, Manny, Felicity, Emily and everyone else he leaves behind, I know the same is true for you too.