Born on February 18, 1924, Bill was brought up and worked on his father's market garden in Werribee.
After meeting his wife Edna at the Royal Melbourne Show in 1950 during the Clydesdale event, the couple bought a bush block and started building a house in Gippsland the following year.
“Then in 1952 we got married after enough of the house was built to keep the weather out, as people did in those days,” Edna said.
Six years later, they moved to Mt Cottrell, near Werribee, to pursue their joint passion for cropping, sheep and cattle farming.
“We didn’t have as much land down there as we needed and Melbourne started to grow and rates got dearer so we sold that and moved here (Barmah East) in January 1974,” Edna said.
“We settled down to farming like we wanted and Bill was known due to the way he farmed — he farmed the old way using horses.
“He worked horses well into his 90s — he worked up to 10 horses in a team at a time.
“He wasn't into showing much, he liked a good working horse.
“He did show a bit at Nathalia and locally, but his first consideration was a quiet, reliable working horse.”
When asked why Bill had the passion to farm the old way, Edna said "looking back, it must have been something he wanted to do from a young lad".
“Most kids have some dream.”
Edna said Bill enjoyed steam rallies and being involved in the Nathalia Pony Club, which Edna enjoyed too.
Bill is survived by wife Edna and children William, Vicki, Meredith and Greg.
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