Bob Cross, who died suddenly while travelling with friends on September 19, was the “quintessential Australian”.
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“We have 20,000 people who volunteer with Blazeaid,” founder and president Kevin Butler said. (Blazeaid is a volunteer organisation that assists farming communities with rebuilding efforts following natural disaster.)
“He’d be the most loved and admired.
“He was the glue who kept basecamp together, with a strong sense of purpose.
“When we were at Bridgewater he said it was like a family, hitching in with local landowners like the Proctors, the Collinses, the Rigbys – there will be many people who will be saddened to know he has died.”
Born in Tamworth on March 21, 1936, Bob worked for 52 years with what was then the electricity commission.
He started with Blazeaid after he retired at age 70 and worked with them until his sudden death while travelling in Western Australia, aged 78.
“Dad struggled to deal with being retired, he needed to feel worthwhile,” daughter Sally Cross said.
“He was senior citizen volunteer of the year, working with Meals on Wheels, and spent countless hours travelling.
“We are extremely proud of him, he did a lot of good and was held in high esteem.”
Sally said her father grew up wanting to do the best for his own family and always keen to do a little bit more.
“He loved the simple things in life,” she said.
According to Blazeaid’s Lyn Bailey, Bob was known as Long Bob, to distinguish him from others such as Wooly Bob, Silent Bob and Drop Bob.
“He was very tall and thin, so that was how we distinguished him,” she said.
In 2011, Mr Cross volunteered at the “basecamp” at Bridgewater, set up to help mend fences and restore properties following the summer flooding. He assisted, too, at Charlton, before packing his caravan and heading to Tully in Queensland, following Cyclone Yasi.
He volunteered at Dunkeld in 2012, and later in camps at Nimmitabel in NSW as well as other places across Queensland.
“Long Bob was up first in the morning to help with breakfast – his porridge is famous around the camps,” Lyn said.
“He had a wonderful sense of humour. The team members he worked with loved being out with him, because it was always a day of laughter among the hard work.
“Long Bob wrote letters to family and friends whenever he had spare time, full of news about what he’d been doing and a great read.
“Those that knew him were thankful they had the chance.”
Mr Cross is survived by his three children, Sally, Alison and Lloyd, and five grandchildren.
Sally said the family had hoped to bury their father next to his own parents in Tamworth, but have had to settle for a plot at some distance.
“His granddaughter said, that’s ok, pa will make friends wherever he is.”