KEY POINTS:
When Shirley Kittelty's entry arrived in the Herald on Sunday, Gillette Meet Roger Federer competition, it was game, set and match.
It wasn't so much Shirley's poetry - although it was pretty good - but the fact that it had a sting in the tail; a reference to
her 37-year-old son Dean, who died in 2004 and who was a "mad-keen" tennis nut who recognised Federer's genius long before most of us did.
Shirley's entry read:
"Only on TV have we seen
The greatest player there's ever been
To meet him in person - oh what a thrill
This lifetime dream would be fulfilled.
His number one fan was our son Dean
To see Roger play - his personal dream
Studying and following, almost obssessed
Constantly stating 'Roger's the best'.
What preparations? How does he train?
So many questions about his game
Only for Dean I enter today
As sadly and suddenly, Dean passed away."
Shirley and her husband Bill, from Te Atatu, were tennis followers and players themselves, and their sons Dean and Scott (now 39) also took up the racquet.
Dean played for the Glen Eden club, including a spot of Caro Bowl tennis, while Scott currently plays for Herne Bay.
"But Dean was full of Federer when he first came on the scene, way before most people realised he was the goods," said Shirley.
"Dean was a physical person and loved his tennis and he was a bit obsessive too. He always used to earbash us about Federer; we got a bit sick of hearing about it.
"So he would have been one of Federer's bigest fans early on - before anyone realised just what a star he was going to be."
Dean was a diabetic and died after slipping into a coma.
"The terrible thing about diabetes is that you always have to balance your insulin levels carefully. He went to bed one night and went to sleep and just didn't wake up."
So Shirley and Bill will depart for Melbourne this week, will meet Federer and will watch him play in the Kooyong tournament, the traditional precursor to the Australian Open.
It's a trip that Dean would have loved to have made - and which will therefore carry special significance for his parents.
