Today my Dad turns 50. It's not easy to express what a dad means to a person and this is most certainly the case with my Dad and me¹.

I'll start by saying we go back a long way, nearly 23 years, so it's fair to say I know a lot about him and can probably make a fairly accurate assessment of his character. But let's face it, he knows much more about me than I know about him, so I've still got to be careful what I say.

I have an overwhelming amount of love and respect for my Dad, but, as regrettably is often the norm, I don't say it nearly often enough². From the moment I was born I have found it fun to be alive, this, along with all my other key personality traits (not to mention my dashing good looks) can all be directly linked to the wonderful parentage and parenting Dad provided.

As I have grown older I've come to appreciate more and more the level of care that was taken in my upbringing. The love and care Dad has provided me with over the years is hinted at in the photo below³.

So thank you for everything, Dad. If I pull off fatherhood nearly as well as you have, I'll be exceedingly happy.

Many times throughout my childhood, I seem to remember Dad's birthday being forgotten⁴, apparently because it is so close to the Christmas/New Year excitement. Well, that certainly hasn't happened this year, and there is a big bash scheduled to be held this weekend. People are coming from far and wide for what is hoped to be one of the best Sunday afternoons on record. There will be plenty of fun and food, some wonderful music, a pool for the summer heat, friends and family galore, and most importantly, a jumping castle.

As part of the party, Laura and I have been asked to run a trivia quiz on the 50 years of Dad's life. In that spirit⁵ here are a few events and people that share an anniversary with Dad's birthday:

• 1956 - Elvis Presley records "Heartbreak Hotel"
• 1969 - Marilyn Manson, American singer is born
• 1984 - Greg Chappell scores 182* in his last Test innings
• 1976 - Cambodia is renamed "Democratic Kampuchea"
• 1975 - 14 die when British freighter "Lake Illawarra" rams pylon bridge between Derwent
• 1896 - An Austrian newspaper reports that Wilhelm Roentgen discovered a type of radiation later known as X-rays.

Happy Birthday Dad!

1. Before I go further, it's important to note that Mum is just as important, respected and loved as Dad. Most, if not all, of the nice things I say here apply directly to her as well. [↩]
2. Or at all, recently. Sorry about that, Dad - maybe that should be my new year's resolution. [↩]
3. Does anyone else think it's a little weird how he has hardly aged in 22 years? [↩]
4. Sorry about that too. [↩]
5. And to reward people for reading this site, these facts may or may not come up in the actual quiz. [↩]