On the evening of Thursday September 5, my oldest friend, Ken Gooding, died of cancer at home in the Sydney suburb of Rozelle. At his side, were his daughter Nicole and his devoted second wife Iliana. They were married on November 6 2021, Ken’s 80th birthday.

Ken Gooding and I grew up close to each other in the Melbourne suburb of East Brighton – he in Elizabeth Street, me at 41 Charles Street.

In the 75 years we knew each other, Ken and I never had an argument. This was even the …