Anonymous Contributor
Yes, I see you reading this as the QA media overlord. This one's for you.
There are a ridiculous number of things that Aj has done for the quidditch community, I don't know where to begin. Imma put them in dot points, in no particular order, and falling far short of everything he has done:
1. Making this whole community voices campaign in the first place, what a lovely initiative to bring us closer together <3
2. All the posters for the #ASportForEveryone series, which were both wholesome and #aesthetic
3. Having been captained and presidented by Aj, it is clear what an impact he has had on USyd Quidditch in particular. He led very successful recruitment campaigns and made sure the next generation continued his legacy. A father of quidditch if you will.
4. His contribution to quidditch photography is also ridiculous; I'd bet we wouldn't have half as many photos to post and comment on if it wasn't for his tireless work every tournament (even when he was supposed to be writing his thesis >.>)
5. His contributions to the international quidditch scene are also v impressive. Taking photos at world cups, creating resources for teams across the world to use, frankly being known by so many people everywhere
6. He is always willing to give advice and help anyone and everyone <3
7. He also has uncanny ability to recall plays and games from years ago that I couldn't remember the next day. It's impressive and also infuriating.
So thank you Aj. When you said "someone in the community who has inspired you / whom you look up to / whom you want to thank? (volunteer, player, community leader, peer, etc.)", you're the first person I thought of. And for good reason <3
———
Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography
———
Ajantha Abey (2014)
Over my six years in quidditch, one person, though being largely in the background, who has been one of the most fundamental and constant drivers of Australian Quidditch is Arfy - as least in my experience of quidditch. His tireless efforts over his many years in the sport have made it what it is today, and have made the community and the experience of the sport better not just for his own team but for everyone.
From being the driving force behind the Macarthur Weasleys to being the first person to really make filming of games in NSW a regular thing, and from his work on the QA board in earlier years to being a large part of the reason that QUAFL 2019 was able to even happen, Arfy has shaped quidditch for all of us in a plethora of largely thankless and behind-the-scenes ways.
It’s one thing to show up and volunteer for a regularly winning mega club, but another thing entirely to continue to show up and fight years on end for a club that has struggled for many years, not only keeping them alive as a hallmark institution of NSW Quidditch, but running local charity events, raising the profile of the sport, running outreach events, and raising all manner of players, from newbies to Dropbears.
Seeing the work Arfy has put into this sport over the last many years and the sacrifices he has made is part of what drives me to put everything I can into my own teams and Quidditch Australia, trying to carry on his incredible legacy and build on what he has and continues to build.
Quidditch in Australia would be a shadow of what it is today without the efforts of many people, but the constant, unrelenting, indefatigable presence of Arfy has always stood out to me, and I hope he knows how appreciated he is.
———
Ajantha joined the USyd Unspeakables in 2014, becoming President, Coach, and Captain, and playing for NSW. While on exchange, he joined the Bristol Bears and volunteered with the Quidditch Post. He now plays for the Sydney City Serpents where he is on the Leadership team, in addition to being the QA Media Director, a community photographer, and a volunteer for Q Consultancy.
Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography
———
Lilian Thai (2017)
Sometimes I actually have to reflect on how I got where I am in the quidditch community, and it's because of Ajantha Abey. First I've got to clear away years of, as he's set my name in his messages, "Mutual Patronisation and Endless Anguish", which we somehow decided summarises our friendship.
And then I can be honest and say this is a person who is constantly looking for something to make better, and that's an admirable characteristic I only wish I had myself. What a truly, truly ridiculous human being. I met him, probably, a mere day or two before his first quidditch training. Seeing his growth from quiet newbie to the powerhouse of community volunteering and leadership everyone knows today is a strange thing to reflect on, but it's something so intrinsic to my own journey into quidditch because I only got to swim in this wonderful community through the efforts of volunteers like AJ.
In 2014 I was wondering, "Why won't my friend from Intermediate Latin hang out with us after class? He always has this quidditch thing on?" By 2016 I was having a huge laugh realising that everyone in Europe was crazy about AJ, too, and months before his return from exchange in Bristol I was already telling every acquaintance who'd listen, "I'm going to finally try quidditch when a friend of mine comes back home," because apparently that was the most interesting thing about me at the time, and three years of his crazy stories had finally worn me down (someone please dig up the photos of AJ seeking and hanging onto his broom like a sloth while Damo curls him like a set of weights).
This man gets to WORK. Plenty of other people can attest to the electric shock he gave USYD Quidditch Club over 2017-18, the amount of clear-headed and loving effort he put into finding ANYTHING around him and making it BETTER, SOMEHOW. He saw needs and demands no one else had probably considered and created things from scratch just because he knew it would be important. Like a true mad scientist and true Renaissance man, he's done this everywhere he has ever gone, and it's no wonder Australia and Europe is in love with him. I use the word "engagement" so much now for reasons unclear to me, but I know it's AJ's fault.
In 2016 AJ told me (jokingly? I think?) [only partly - AJ], “You have a lot of repressed anger issues. You’d make a good beater.” In 2017 he was hugging me while I laugh-cried (mostly cried) about how I could ever impress my big stupid crush if I wasn’t even a decent beater. In 2018 he said some of my quidditch photography shots were good. And in October 2019, in a match I will never let anyone forget was when the Unforgivables nearly toppled the Unbreakbles on the very first step of their run through the NQL finals – AJ said my beating was exceptional. It wasn’t the first game day compliment to be exchanged between friends, but I remember it as an interesting marker of how young adults grow into adults, skills and relationships grow, honesty pops up in between the banter, and how the years really, really do not stop coming.
Anyway, this is an inspiring person in our community, I guess. Happy birthday, Aj.
———
Lilian began playing with the University of Sydney Quidditch Club in 2017, and now plays with the Valkyries Quidditch Club, having been a team captain and community photographer.
Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography
———