COLIN FRANK AGOSTINI (Extreme left bottom row in photo)
1933-2010
R.I.P.
Colin Agostini, who died from pneumonia, early on Friday (26th. March 2010) morning, at Community Hospital, in his 77th year, was the “baby”, at 19, of the Trinidad & Tobago football team that toured the UK in 1952.
Colin came from a great sporting family and was an outstanding sportsman in his own right, in several different fields, football especially, as well as athletics, swimming and also horse racing, in which he was an acknowledged expert.
Colin captained St. Mary’s College (CIC) football teams in all age groups from Colts through to first class, playing either at inside left or at halfback, and did similarly for both North and the national teams too.
The CIC team he led in 1950 beat QRC 1-0 with the only goal being scored by his younger brother, Michael, who would go on to become one of T&T’s finest sprinters, whom Colin taught to kick with his “dummy” left foot, surprising the “Royalites” goal keeper, the late Marcus Minshall, another of T&T’s greatest all-round sportsmen.
In athletics, Colin became the first and possibly only person ever to win all running events from 100 yards through to one mile all on the same day at the CIC Annual Sports, along with the long jump, throwing the cricket ball and three legged race (with Michael), for one of his many Victor Ludorums.
Horse racing was another of his many passions, from bookmaking through to handicapping and even race calling at times; he was an astute punter who often won much more than he lost.
While Michael focused on sprinting, becoming the first West Indian winner of the British Empire Games 100 yards, in Vancouver, B.C. Canada in 1954, as well as a double Olympic finalist (Melbourne, 1956), and much more, Colin’s major aim was to marry his childhood sweetheart, Jean Gomez (sister of the late Pat Gomez, one of T&T’s greatest football goalies), which they did in 1958. From this came six living children, Gerry and Marie-Therese, Sedley, Cathy (wife of Chico Govia, of hockey fame), Michele and Tricia (Mrs. Dane Fereira), and six grandchildren to date.
Besides his sporting achievements, and loving family relationships, Colin will also be remembered for being a scholar whom many say should have won an Island Scholarship, fine friend of many, especially card players at the Oval, knowledgeable raconteur and member of the Naturalists Club, hiker, mountain climber and strong swimmer in both still and sea waters.
His father, Sedley, captained T&T in football in the thirties, as also Shamrock which Colin led in the fifties after CIC.
Sedley senior and Michael “Mike” are both in the T&T Hall of Fame, Michael also recently inducted to the CIC Past Students Hall of Fame, both of which many agree Colin should also be in.
Their mother was the first of the 14 strong Govia family, several of whom played on representative teams, including top footballers “Sackie” and Henry (“Foxie”), one also once being the wife of the late Robert Hamel-Smith, another T&T football great.
Somewhere in that great playing field of the skies it is likely that Colin will be playing games of all sorts with his parents and relatives, now freed from the ravages of Parkinson’s Disease that destroyed so much of his last 15 years but never beat down his strong sportsman’s fighting spirit.
He will be missed by many, most of all his loving wife and family, who sat around his dying bed singing hymns as well as popular songs they loved (Jean was an outstanding soloist, as also were their daughters).
