Family and friends remember fair, fuss-free, humorous, and hardworking man | OBITUARY

Wee Waa and District Historical Society and Namoi Echo Museum president Julie Dowleans OAM has paid tribute to the late Brian Warren – a valued volunteer at the museum.

“Brian held the position of treasurer of Wee Waa and District Historical Society Inc for what would have been 13 years in August,” said Julie OAM.

“His bookkeeping skills were exceptional and if you saw his desk, it was organised chaos, but he knew exactly where everything was and you didn’t dare move anything.”

Julie recalled fond and fun memories of Mr Warren’s volunteer work and involvement with making the museum a popular local meeting place and tourist destination.

It was a community contribution he carried out with his wife Margaret by his side.

“Brian we are deeply saddened by your passing but know that you were respected by many in your community,” Julie said.

“Margaret our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families at this very sad time.”

Mr Warren took on other roles in the community too such as licensee and treasurer of the Wee Waa Golf Club for many years.

Readers would be familiar with Mr Warren’s presence at Anzac and Remembrance Day ceremonies, where the former serviceman often raised the flag.

Mr Warren served in Vietnam and his regiment details were Lance Corporal, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, May 8, 1969 to September 10, 1969.

Described as a ‘fuss-free, proud, private, hardworking and kind man’, Mr Warren’s great sense of humour was remembered by friends and family at his graveside service held at Wee Waa cemetery on March 26.

Margaret’s son Jeff Bignall delivered the eulogy and said: “Mum remembers well the pact they made before they married that her and Brian would treat each other’s children as their own.

“In those early years, Brian helped mum care for my severely disabled sister on her trips home from hospital.

“And he always, throughout the rest of his life, introduced me to everyone as his son.”

Mr Bignall started Mr Warren’s eulogy with humour and childhood memories.

“Good morning, I have instructions that this needs to be kept to five minutes, so in typical Brian fashion I will try and keep everything straight to the point,” Mr Bignall said.

“Brian John Warren was born in Werris Creek in 1947, brother to Kenneth, Irene and then his baby sister Edith.

“His schooling consisted of infants and primary at Werris Creek, some high school at Quirindi and the Grafton high school before heading back to Quirindi high to finish school.

“Some child memories from his sister Edith – they won the sponge cake making competition at school, a feat that must have been more Edith’s doing than Brian’s.

“When they were growing up in Werris Creek, they caught a featherless pink and grey galah and Brian tried to teach it to swear but it never did.

“They also tried to do a veggie garden up in the backyard and Brian being Brian kept tormenting Edith so she picked up a clod of dirt and threw it at him and hit him on the nose and made it bleed.

“Another memory was playing cricket in the backyard and Brian, again being his usual tormenting self, told Edith that she could not hit the side of a barn. And Edith being Edith picked up the cricket ball and let fly and hit him in the back with it.

“I think there is definitely a family trait there but don’t worry Edith, I am sure he deserved everything he got.

“He also played cricket for the school and was involved with PCYC boxing and he was pretty good, I remember as a kid, him showing us his boxing trophies and being very impressed.”

“Two days before his 12th birthday, Brian and his sisters went to live with their dad’s parents in Quirindi.”

Mr Bignall said Brian’s mother became estranged from the family.

“Their dad (Pop Warren) then married Gwen Ware, he gained two extra brothers Terry and Phillip Ware.

“I remember Brian had great affection for Gwen, in his mind she was his mother and upon reflection showed him how to be a good step-parent.

“After finishing school he did an accountancy course at TAFE, a skill that set him up to serve as treasurer on many organisations, including Wee Waa Golf Club and the Wee Waa Historical Society.

“I remember he was always working on a ledger of some sort and even when we got our first computer and he transferred everything over to an ‘excel spreadsheet’, he never fully trusted it and always kept a paper back up.

“After TAFE he worked at 2MO Radio Station then Gunnedah Abattoirs before being conscripted into National Service and serving in Vietnam as a member of 1 Platoon, A Company, 6RAR where he rose to the rank of Lance Corporal.

The late Brian Warren with his wife Margaret at an Australia Day event held at the Wee Waa Namoi Echo Museum. Together, the couple devoted time and energy to helping the community including their valued contributions at the museum.

“After returning home he continued on at Gunnedah Abattoirs where he became the youngest person ever to receive a staff position.

“His first marriage bought him two beautiful children Michael and Michelle.

“His second marriage was to my mum Margaret and with that union came another two instant children myself and my older sister Kylie.

“The abattoirs formed a lot of Michael, Michelle and my early memories, we would go there with Brian on the weekends and there was roller-skating and skateboarding through the chillers, dodging men with high pressure hoses with boiling water, not a lot of OH and S in the 80s, and mainly getting up to mischief, as I do remember getting roused on a lot.

“There were also times spent out at the Gunnedah farm Kylan (named after my late sister, Kylie Anne).

“We kids had memories of making very elaborate tunnel systems in the clover instead of stopping the steers from going into the paddock.

“There were also the cattle yards and fences build by hand with trees felled from the state reserve.

“In 1985 we moved to Nambucca Heads and then Macksville when Brian left the Gunnedah Abattoir and got a job at the Macksville Abattoir.

“He had a love for motorbikes and rode to work every day on his Yamaha 250 dirt bike.

“We also had our three horses – his Buster, Mum’s Matilda and the old nag for us kids appropriately called Mischief.

“We remember Brian taking us kids out fishing, one time when Michael got the proper fishing rod and Michelle and I having to settle for the plastic reels.

“Well, Michelle got bored and left, and the next thing Brian’s rod was taking off into the water.

“He chased after it and saved the rod as well as landing the Whiting.

“Now is probably a good time to point out that Brian had extremely high moral standards and principles.

“He always did what was right no matter what the consequences, this was the reason we left Gunnedah and moved to Macksville and was why we eventually had to leave Macksville in search of another job.

“On both occasions, he could have kept his mouth shut and towed the line but that wasn’t Brian, he stood up for what he believed in, and the consequences didn’t matter.

“So, in 1990, we moved to Wee Waa and Brian, having had enough of working for other people started up his own cotton-picking business.

“This started off with two of the old two row pickers purchased from his brother-in-law Ron Parish, a couple of old module presses and some even older tractors.

“And finished over 22 years later with two of the new four-rowers, one of them the latest model out of the states with the ability to do up to six rows.

“He was very proud of that picker and told anybody and everybody about it.

“We remember the bleeding thumbs we used to have from long days rebuilding spindles in the off season, and the time that Brian said that he would pay us double what he was paying Mum.

“It took a while to realise that double nothing was still nothing.

“The people he employed were also a source of pride to him.

“At times when there was a shortage of labour, he had no trouble getting workers, and he managed to keep pretty much the same crew year on year.

“He wasn’t afraid to give someone a go, he believed everyone deserved a chance, no matter their history.

“He had some pretty simple but strict criteria: turn up on time, sober, and work hard, bloody hard.

“Oh yeah and never swear when Mum was around.

“Although there were some classic stories heard over the UHF that we might share later on at the wake.

“There were times when the crews were working seven days per week, 14-16 hours per day but he didn’t expect anyone to do what he wasn’t prepared to do himself and as hard as his crew worked, no one worked harder than him.

“When working for Brian, if you could meet these criteria then in return, he had your back 150 per cent.

“He didn’t take too kindly to anyone telling him what to do and who he should employee, even to the extent of being prepared to walk away from the job if necessary – once again doing the right thing.

“This backing and believing in the people who worked for him established a culture of loyalty and mum talks fondly of the people who have come back years later and thanked Brian for giving them a go and teaching them how to work hard.

“He was also, always available to help people, like the time a lady (who will remain nameless) needed a heap of lightbulbs changing.

“In the middle of doing this she said to him: ‘Brian, you’re the only man I’ve had in my bedroom for years’, to which he replied: ‘it is my pleasure’.

“Or there was a time in Wee Waa that he was affectionately known as the pet undertaker, the person you called when a friends animal died and needed removal.

“There were many other examples, some including cutting and delivering chips for people’s fires, so they didn’t have to pay for them.

“Serving as executor of numerous wills.

“Helping people to ensure they received their legal rights when being laid off from their jobs.

“Driving people to medical appointments.

“And many, many, more.

“He was very good at designing and making things.

“There were the hoes he made Michael, Michelle and I to chip burs at ‘Kylan’ farm made out of steel pipe and plate.

“The fertiliser rig he designed that helped stopped the heliothis cycle.

“The double bunks he made for Michael and I.

“I know he taught us kids, some of the biggest values in life.

“He taught us – how to work hard, I have never seen a person who works harder.

“He taught us to be resilient and how to bounce back no matter what the setbacks.

“He was extremely old fashioned, but his underling values were solid.

“He taught us not to be a burden on others and how to pull your own weight.

“He taught us how to give it ago, how to make a mistake and how to learn from them.

“He taught us how to do the right thing, to commit to it and to follow through.

“He didn’t lecture, he led by example, they were some hard lessons to learn, some of them we didn’t always agree with, but I personally wouldn’t be who I am now without him.

“I couldn’t go past without a few comments on his food choices – radish and salt, actually just salt on everything, strong black coffee, raw onion sandwiches, a hunk of cheese and a beer when you come home from work, only ever ham off the bone, meat and three vegies every day (no deviation, no exception), steak medium rare, nothing else unless marinated in red wine and herbs, only ever mushrooms in a can but never anything else out of a can. “Only ever Tooheys New in a stubbie or Tooheys Old on tap.

“And when you get a roast chook it’s a fight for the parson’s nose.

“And of course, poached eggs on a weekend.

“We also had a veggie garden in every place we ever lived.

“Brian’s motto was – if you can’t eat it, don’t grow it.

“I’m not sure how we went with the five minutes but to wrap up: Brian was a proud man, he was a private man, he was a kind man, he never wanted to make a fuss, he always chose what he thought was the right way, never the easy way, he had a great sense of humour and was a born stirrer.

“If we could sum up Brian with a footy analogy it would be – it did not matter at all about the result but how you play the game.

“And he played the game hard but extremely fair.”