Victorian golf, sport in general and the craft of journalism have all lost a champion with the passing of Trevor Grant.
Grant, 65, died on March 5 from mesothelioma – asbestos cancer – after a two-year struggle which epitomised the courage for which he was renowned in his professional life.
He was a long-time contributor to Golf Victoria Magazine, particularly in the Gallery pages where his ideas and opinions were always forthright, original and relevant.
Colleagues have been quick to hail Grant as a truly outstanding reporter on newspapers including Newsday, Sporting Globe, The Age, Sunday Press, Sunday Herald, Sunday Herald Sun and Herald Sun.
A fearless and, when necessary, combative interviewer, Grant could also evoke great compassion with his words. He was a lover of all sport, prolific on AFL and cricket, but had a special infatuation with the game for life, which he played to a low single figure handicap.
After retiring from daily journalism in 2008, he became an advocate for Sri Lankan refugees and when diagnosed with his illness in 2015, he wrote a compelling account of the battle he knew he could not win.
A gifted and compassionate storyteller, his loss is sorely felt.