Farewell to Big Artie

I saw the first tweet while I sat in my car in a parking lot, waiting for the end of ANNIKA'S dance class tonight.
ARHTUR BEETSON had died, age 66.
"Big Artie" holds a special place in AUSTRALIA'S sports history. The rugby league legend -- whose glory years came with the BALMAIN TIGERS and the EASTERN SUBURBS ROOSTERS, was the first INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN to captain the country in any sport.
Beetson played and coached in more than 400 first-grade games, played 29 Tests for the Kangaroos and represented QUEENSLAND in three STATE OF ORIGIN matches.
He has also been universally cited as a great man -- an athletic star who always made time for the younger players, even those whose time in the "big time" would prove short.
Tweets began to spill forth from some of the Down Under news sources I follow as I refreshed my phone.
Beetson's death has shocked and saddened many. Me included.