Lunch Speech by Sponsor and CareerCross president, Richard Bysouth
Good Afternoon ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming. It is very nice to see so many friends and familiar faces out there and I hope you are having as much fun as I am.
For those of you who do not know me, my name is Richard Bysouth and I am founder and president of C.C Consulting, parent company of CareerCross, the world’s biggest bilingual job board focused on the Japanese market, and FJP, Japan’s premier English Language Information Portal on Sports and Fitness. We are extremely proud to be chosen as one of today’s sponsors and have the opportunity to support the Tyler Foundation. It’s remarkable to think what Mark, Kim and the foundation have achieved already, and while I cannot begin to understand their terrible loss, as a proud father of 3 young children myself, I can fully understand their commitment to this cause.
Personal note from Richard
There is a famous English quotation that goes “football is a game for gentlemen played by ruffians, and rugby is a game for ruffians played by gentlemen” -whereas Cricket, Cricket is a game for gentlemen played by middle aged bald men with beer bellies and bad eyesight – judging by the two teams that have turned out today.
But for me the great thing about this event is that as well as being able to sponsor a cause that I strongly believe in, I also get to meet some of my childhood sporting heroes from the worlds of rugby and cricket. In particular, I was extremely excited when I heard I would have the chance to meet one of the best British cricket players of his generation, a former captain of the national team and a sporting icon both at home and abroad – unfortunately Ian Botham was not able to make it, so that will not be happening this time.
Seriously folks, as a teenager Mike Gatting was one of my greatest sporting idols and I remember being inspired when he came back from a broken nose to skipper the side that retained the Ashes in 1986, a feat that will naturally occur again this year in Australia. I have the same inspirational feelings for Lance Armstrong and his fight with cancer and mind blowing career that followed. As an amateur and somewhat slow tri-athlete and marathon runner, I am constantly inspired and amazed when I witness the dedication and awe inspiring achievements of those around me, and these emotions and sentiments are what keep me going when times get tough, both in work and play.
These are the same sentiments I felt when I first heard about the Tyler Foundation and what seemed like an outrageous plan to fly some of the world’s biggest sporting legends into Japan for a charity weekend. These are the same sentiments I felt when I listened to the emotional and heart rendering speech delivered by Kim on Friday evening, and these are the same sentiments I am sure will inspire us all, and particularly the foreign community here in Japan, to use our influence, to use our privileged positions as guests in this wonderful country, to really make a difference, and by continuing to support this amazing charity, ensure that Tyler’s legacy really does keep “shining on”.