A year ago today, the Melbourne Football Club was hit by the news of the death of Jim Stynes.

Just the week before, Stynes – accompanied by wife Sam - had stood at the Club’s Commencement Dinner to be presented with his new blazer by another red and blue legend who had known him from the beginning of his time in Australia – Ron Barassi. 

It had been a long, brave fight against cancer for the tall Irishman, reinforcing his inspirational place in the lives of many.  From his start as a youngster and part of the ‘Irish Experiment’, through to his role in the resurgent team of the late 1980s and early 1990s, he became part of all of us.  From winning the Brownlow in 1991, and his work outside the game with the innovative Reach Foundation, through to carrying the Melbourne Football Club beyond troubled times to stability and togetherness as President, Stynes touched the lives of many.

What was – is - special about Jim Stynes is that he continues to reach out to the world, even in death, and his impact will last long into the future.  His stories are strong, his images part of our collective consciousness.  After all, he was part of us for so long, playing 244 games in a row out of his total of 264, and dominating the scenery of the game and our lives for more than a decade.  He was the ruckman flying high above the stands, centre stage MCG, an imposing presence and formidable player - but that was just one of the faces of Jim Stynes. 

We shared the sheer delight as he spoke to his mother Tess on the night he won the Brownlow; we saw him with red and blue scarf firmly in place as he sat in the MCG stands as Club President, then again with the ‘Reach kids’ gathered around him.  We saw him celebrating as player and beyond, pick up and carry on after the devastating 1987 crossing the mark incident, and celebrate success, growth and friendship throughout.  There is a veritable newsreel of images and connected stories in between and through to those last sharing shots with Sam and children Matisse and Tiernan – and there are moments now when it still seems impossible that such a powerful force as Jim Stynes is no longer a tangible presence.

But, as a new season starts, and red and blue unfurls again, we can continue to gain strength from Jim Stynes.  Another Jimmy – Toumpas – is starting out on his Melbourne journey with a rich cultural background to his credit.  Mitch Clark – like Stynes a striking figure in his No. 11 – looks set to rebound to a strong place in the line up in 2013, and the MCG and the city remain the twin stages that Stynes dominated and adopted in his three decades here.

Now he is back in his native Ireland, his spirit shared between two countries, missed and loved by thousands.  A year ago today he left us, but there is no doubt at all that Jim Stynes – memories and stories alike - will live on through the impact he had and continues to have on so many.