When Steve Irwin died, I was shocked. When Heath Ledger died, I was saddened. On Monday the 28th of April, Gary Kenworthy died, and I was shattered.

Gary Kenworthy was an English and History teacher at Quakers Hill High School, but he was much more than that to those of us who knew him. He was a role model, a mentor, a confidant and a friend.

Gary taught us that near enough was never good enough. That we should always be ourselves and stand up for what we know is right. That we should strive to be the very best, to live up to the potential that he saw in each and every one of his students.

He cared passionately about the students. He played war games, loved historical military strategy, and watched sci-fi movies. He loved to talk, and many conversations (and History lessons) turned to long rambling rants about women’s fashion, to reminiscence of his childhood, and many, many, many things in between.

It's hard for me to put into words what Gary meant to me. He was truly a unique man. He helped myself and close friends through hard times, through severe depression and family problems. He helped me feel comfortable working with much older students in my first years at Quakers Hill, and motivated me to be my best during my last. He meant a great deal to me, and I am ashamed to say I have squandered many of the lessons he taught me, the care he gave for me. He seemed like a man who never could die, who had a interminable energy and strength of will, a man who would outlast us all, and I was and am overwhelmed and devastated by his death. It truly, physically hurts to think that he is no longer in the world.

He was an inspiration, and above all, a great man, and he will be sorely missed. I wish my condolences to his son, wife and daughter, and to anyone else who had the opportunity to know this magnificent and enigmatic man.