Well-known Goulburn man Gerry Witenden passed away recently.
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He was farewelled by family and friends in an informal ceremony at the Old Goulburn Brewery on Monday.
Mr Witenden was a former Goulburn Post journalist and mentor to many younger journalists.
But journalism was just one of the many jobs he had.
Mr Witenden was born in Cootamundra on March 18, 1947.
He was the fourth child of Harry and Lorna Witenden and the sibling of Keith, Helen and his late brother Colin.
He grew up on a farm near Stockinbingal.
At age 10, he was sent to St Patrick's College, Goulburn as a boarder.
According to his wife Jennie, he was relieved when his parents bought a house in Goulburn so he could attend as a day student.
"He made up for a lack of sporting prowess with his interest in all things automotive and his impressive gun collection," Jennie Witenden said.
"Most of this collection was sold to purchase his first car."
Mrs Witenden said Gerry was a born wanderer and adventurer.
"The initial adventure was a sailing expedition as a crew member of a trimaran," she said.
"The wild seas between Fiji and New Zealand almost took his life.
"One of his greatest and most unique experiences in his vast travel log was an overland trip from London to Sydney in a Kombi with two fellow original hippies.
"The adventure took months and involved weeks at sea and various breakdowns in the middle of nowhere, often in remote areas of Afghanistan, Iran and India."
Gerry also loved automobiles. He built a Formula V car himself from scratch with the help of friends and he contested the Formula Ford Driver series in Europe.
"The people of Goulburn rallied behind him to raise funds for him to get to England and drive for a team based in Brighton," Mrs Witenden said.
"He also raced Formula 4's and once raced at Bathurst."
Mrs Witenden said it was love at first sight for them.
"I fell for him, hook, line and sinker at the tender age of 16," she said.
"This may have been regarded as scandalous at the time because he was 10 years older than me.
"After 18 years and three beautiful children, in 1991 we thought it proper and timely to formalise our relationship with a wedding. My father expressed his concern at the time that 'we may have been rushing things.
"Gerry rarely rushed at anything, with the exception of a tight-hander with a steering wheel in his hands."
She thanked Goulburn Palliative Care team for their extraordinary support.
