Much-loved long-time local, Adam Shostak, passed away last Wednesday after a slow decline from various health issues.
His passing was a natural, final release from the pain that he had endured for many months. Despite his declining health, his mind and spirit were unwavering and so his sudden passing came as a great shock.
We fondly remember his light which has touched many hearts in his long lifetime.
Adam was an icon in our community; many will remember him as the ‘Sea Shepherd Man’, with his wild beard, dressed in head-to-toe Sea Shepherd merch, shaking the fundraising tin at various locations and markets across the Byron Shire.
Others will remember him as a pivotal teacher of remedial yoga for those suffering from chronic pain.
Still others will remember his sporting prowess as a gifted footballer and coach in 1950-60s Melbourne.
Most importantly, his family will remember him as the caring, witty, opinionated, loving and supportive father, grandfather and great-grandfather that he was.
Adam’s devotion to Sea Shepherd was phenomenal, with 15 years of fundraising, five days per week.
This created an incredible legacy of Sea Shepherd in Byron Bay, and he would still be doing it if he could!
He put Sea Shepherd on the map in this community, with stalls at local markets and festivals, creating movie nights and many vibrant lively events.
Born to a Jewish couple in Vilna, Poland on August 21, 1939, two weeks before WWII began, Adam, older brother Sam and their family fled to Russia and endured loss, close calls and hardship.
They made it to Australia in 1950, and Adam would often muse on the blessing of landing in this country in his later years. He spoke multiple languages except English, but soon mastered it with tuition at his first school.
Excelled at football
At Melbourne High, Adam excelled at football and was invited to train with St Kilda Football Club, playing in the Under 19s then upgraded to 2nds and Seniors.
Long work hours in the bulk foods family business, the coaching of football, a slow accumulation of prosperity, and suburban marital bliss with the beautiful Helen and their children Darryl and Sharon followed. This was shattered by divorce and he followed them to Mullumbimby in 1973.
Within a few years, he built his beloved A-frame in the Upper Main Arm valley, embracing the hippie ethos.
He joined the campaign to fight for Terania and discovered a passion for activism. Adam was appalled by killing, and adamant that all life was precious, perhaps owing to his early years in war-ravaged Europe.
Unwavering vegetarian
An unwavering vegetarian, he refused to even pull weeds or swat mosquitoes.
Adam’s entrepreneurial ventures included opening a shop in Mullumbimby, which sold second hand building materials and fittings sourced from Brisbane.
He then started the region’s first organic distribution service, which sent boxes of bananas and avocados to his Melbourne contacts. This led him to injure his back. Melbourne-based yoga teacher, Steve Barry, guided Adam to heal the prolapsed and dissolving discs of his spine, and the frozen knees and shoulders resulting from his arduous work and sporting life.
First yoga studio
Adam inspired his daughter Sharon, who trained as a yoga teacher, and together they established the first yoga studio in Mullumbimby in the early ’90s.
With his deep experiential knowledge of remedial yoga, Adam taught there as well as in Melbourne; one of his former luminary students was sprinter Cathy Freeman, prior to her famed win at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Upon returning to Main Arm, Adam decided to focus on just one cause – saving the whales. Jeff Hansen, Managing Director of Sea Shepherd Australia describes Adam’s persona in the organisation as ‘the gold standard of what the culture of our movement for the ocean is all about – intelligence, charisma, passion and heart’.
The Shostak family warmly invite you to join them at Kohinur Hall on Sunday, December 22 from 2pm to honour Adam’s life and legacy. Similar to his 80th birthday fundraiser at Durrumbul Hall, this celebration of his life will be a Sea Shepherd fundraiser. Dress code: Sea Shepherd and/or colourful.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
