Geoff Towers, better known as Scrubby, tragically died in a tractor accident on July 19, 2017.
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His funeral service was held at Manning Great Lakes Memorial Gardens Pampoolah on Saturday, August 5 and it is estimated that more than 800 people attended his funeral.
Scrubby attended Moorland Public School until he was 15 years old then went straight to work.
His first job was on the Cox family farm at Burrell Creek. Next, he worked at Stuart and Lloyds Steelworks at Mayfield.
He returned to Moorland where he worked at a sawmill, and then, still only 20 years old took a job at North’s Produce store, where the other workers told him he had to slow down – he was making the rest of them look lazy!
Finally, he joined Taree Council where he worked mainly as a truck driver for the next 30 years.
However, Scrubby wasn’t satisfied with only one job – he usually held down two or three part- time, after hours jobs as well.
When Scrubby wasn’t sleeping, he was working.
The passions in Scrubby’s life included rugby league, motorbikes and country music.
He was involved in the early days of the Taree Motorcycle Club and spent many hours preparing the track at Old Bar for race days.
He was a founding member of the Mid North Coast Country Music Association and being a natural entertainer loved to step on stage, tell a joke and sing a couple of songs.
His unmistakeable catchphrase was “I have a little song for you and it goes something like this” – and his audiences loved it. He was well known by the Tamworth country music community being a visitor to their festival every year.
When Scrubby retired from council, he set up a very successful business as a slashing contractor.
He was a man of the land, spending many hours on his properties at Cundletown and Lansdowne, making improvements and caring for his livestock.
Scrubby married his soulmate, Valma Jean Everingham, at Moorland Church in 1964.
For the next 53 years, Val took care of Scrubby like a king, and he readily admitted that he couldn’t survive without her.
Scrubby is survived by sisters Nina Fairhurst, Noelene Dunn, Pam Eyb, brother Laurie, wife Val, son Peter and partner Tracey, son David, and granddaughters Gemma and Logan.
Grandson Brenton passed away at age 11 from muscular dystrophy and donations collected at the funeral will go to the charity Save our Sons Duchenne Foundation.
Scrubby was respected and loved by his thousands of friends and acquaintances and was known for his larger than life personality and his big heart.
His legend will live on through the stories of his many exploits which will be told and retold, and will never grow old.
Val and her family have received amazing support from family, friends and community and they wish to sincerely thank everyone for being there at their time of loss.