Sad day for NZ cricket community

By ALISON HORWOOD AND PAULA OLIVER

It was natural that Mark Morton Parker would have been among the young sportsmen and women at Paddys Bar.

He was young, talented, sporting and loved a good time.

He would have fitted in among the young revellers at Paddys, many from sports teams from around Southeast Asia converging for a rugby tournament.

A talented batsman, Mark Parker was on his way home after a fine season with English cricket team Winchester.

The Timaru-born 27-year-old was enjoying a three-day stopover in tropical Bali.

He was the first New Zealander confirmed dead and identified in the makeshift morgues of Denpasar.

Parker lost his legs in the blast and died shortly after he was admitted to Sanglah Hospital.

When it came to cricket, he was a natural. His father, Murray, and uncle, John, both played test cricket for New Zealand.

Parker himself played for Otago in the 1996-1997 season before heading to England for two years to work and further his cricket career.

He had hopes of playing more first-class cricket, and had been due back in New Zealand on Tuesday.

Parker's family, who had been looking forward to welcoming him back, yesterday found themselves instead preparing to bring his body home.

John Parker said the family had little to say.

"Times have been tough."

Mark Parker's former boss at Frucor Beverages in Wellington, Marty Ritchie, described him as a friend "whose smile would light up the room".

After studying business at Otago University, Parker worked for two years as a Wellington sales rep for the beverage company.

"He was happy-go-lucky, an infectious type of person ... just an all-round great guy."

Parker lived in central Wellington with a big group of friends - mostly university and sporting mates from Otago.

"They basically had an open-door policy. It was a social flat. And Mark was the laugher amongst the bunch."

Parker's uncle last night thanked all of the people around the globe who had worked to discover Mark's fate.

Among the friends who had waited for news were All Blacks Anton Oliver and Simon Maling.

Former New Zealand cricketer Gavin Larsen, who worked with Parker at Wellington's Onslow club, said he was stunned.

"Mark was a fantastic guy. He was the consummate team man. He threw himself into the club, was always at practice and was such a likeable guy," Larsen said. "He was mega-talented."

Parker displayed cricketing talent from a young age.

He attended Timaru Boys High School and played for the first XI. His father was a teacher at the school and used to coach the team.

Timaru mayor Wynne Raymond said the Parker family of four children were close-knit and high achievers.

They epitomised all that was good about New Zealand families.

" ... there are few people in Timaru district who have not come into contact with one or more of that family ... we are truly shocked."

One person with a message for the family of Mark Parker is the man who tried to save him.

Arriving home from Bali, Daniel Whiston recalled how Mark, both legs torn off in the bomb blast, gave him a simple message to pass on to his family. "He loved them, you know."

Mr Whiston, of Waiuku, came off the first flight from Bali to New Zealand since Sunday, trundling his surfboard and a pile of sombre memories.

He stopped, briefly, to talk to reporters about his experience of going to the aid of a Kiwi he did not know who had lost both legs.

"It was my last night in Bali. I was just saying goodbye to it all [at Paddys Bar].

"[Mark] looked the worst from what I saw and he was talking."

Mr Whiston said he was urging Mark to hang in there and keep going: "He was a real legend. A real tough guy ... he was telling me his name and his family's name and where he was from."

He now has the task of phoning Parker's family to relay their son's last words.

Bali messages and latest information on New Zealanders
New Zealand travellers in Bali, and their families around the world, can exchange news via our Bali Messages page. The page also contains lists of New Zealanders in Bali and their condition.

Foreign Affairs advice to New Zealanders

* Travellers should defer travel to Bali

* NZers in Bali should keep a low profile and remain calm

* Foreign Affairs Hotline: 0800 432 111

Feature: Bali bomb blast

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