Opinion | Left Field: Gurvinder Singh Dillon broke down racial barriers to play for Football Club
Son of Hong Kong stalwart Billy Dillon, who broke down racial barriers to play for Football Club, loses his battle with cancer
The hockey community has been in deep mourning at the death of Gurvinder Singh Dillon, popularly known as "Guv". At 35, Guv was too young to be taken by cancer, which he had battled for the past three years before succumbing last Monday. It left his mum and dad, Billy and Santhia, having to face the hardest thing a parent can do.
The Dillons have been part of the local hockey fabric for generations. Billy has been a lynchpin of the game for years, not only in Hong Kong but in Asia. He was umpiring at the SEA Games in Singapore and had to rush back on hearing that Guv had been admitted to hospital with pneumonia.
Guv played 12 times for Hong Kong including the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. One of the best tributes to him written by a friend at Hong Kong Football Club was "he was just a nice guy who didn't see colour or race, just a hockey stick".
Guv bucked the odds when he joined the Sports Road club many years ago. In the domestic hockey league, teams are drawn mostly on racial lines. There are Indian, Pakistani and Chinese clubs. Guv, a proud Sikh, decided to go against the trend and joined the more cosmopolitan Hong Kong Football Club.
He was admired for breaking down barriers. He was vilified by others for breaking away with tradition and from his own community. Guv refused to be cowed by all the abuse
It earned him praise and censure. He was admired for breaking down barriers. He was vilified by others for breaking away with tradition and from his own community. Guv refused to be cowed by all the abuse and bravely continued representing HKFC.
In today's world where racism is such a sad part of life, people like Guv must be lauded for having the courage of their convictions. The flak he got never bothered him, for he was strong and confident he was doing the right thing.
