Denise Butler, Celebrant.

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09/06/2026

Received this lovely message from Mandy Dawes this morning; many thanks, Mandy. As I say, it’s always both a pleasure and a privilege to help families in their time of need.

“Hi Denise,

Firstly, Michelle and I would sincerely like to thank you for the beautiful service you performed for our dad, Ron Tann. We truly appreciated all your support, even with the changes we made along the way. It meant a great deal to us during a very emotional time.

We were also hoping we could please get a copy of Dad’s funeral service when you have a moment.

Thank you again for everything.

Warm regards,
Mandy Dawes”

05/06/2026

Mylene Tanis, her sons Lucas and Daniel, along with her grandchildren farewelled her adored husband Clyde at Wesley Place in Colac this morning. Clyde’s brother Geoff claimed that Colac “Couldn’t hold him” and so as a 17-year old he enlisted in the Australian Army as an apprentice chef in 1971. Clyde spent 29 years in the army, over 8 postings at different army locations; rose to the rank of Warrant Officer, Class 1; served in East Timor under General Cosgrove and when he retired in 2000, promptly enrolled in the Army Reserve for another 8 years. Clyde’s career as a chef was a stellar one, including training cooking apprentices at Puckapunyal, but it was his 2 x 3 year postings to Darwin that he enjoyed the most. Mylene came into his life via the army, too; they met at a Dining-In night in Townsville where Clyde threw caution to the wind, sidling up to the woman in “black stockings,” eventually marrying her in 1981.
Upon his final retirement in 2021, Clyde and Mylene settled in Elliminyt, in a house that provided him with opportunities to create his own piece of paradise. He built retaining walls for his new garden; planted a large veggie patch; filled the garden with natives and flowering plants and built a comfortable shed for himself. He had plans for an extension too, but his untimely death at 71 after a sepsis infection means those plans will not eventuate. His family describe Clyde as a true larrikin, a man with a ready laugh, sharp wit and sense of the ridiculous. His step-mother said he was kind and generous, “A man who always knew when to say the right thing.” Clyde was a devoted grandfather, inspirational father and man for whom service to others was his watch-word.

05/06/2026

It may have been cold and very wet in Colac yesterday, but that did not prevent the family and friends of Ron Tann farewelling him in style. The Colac City Bowls Club provided a dry and cosy location, which was appreciated by all. His death after only 3 days in hospital devastated his family, but his daughters were with him when he passed. Celebrating his 90th birthday in April, Ron was a Beech Forrest local who spent his early working years with his grandfather and uncles on their potato farms. Eventually Ron graduated to driving logging trucks and dozers for various companies involved in the logging industry in the Otways. It was here that he found his happy place for many years, before her transitioned to driving trucks for these companies within Victoria and interstate. Marrying Judy Dow, they had two children - Mandy and Michelle. The girls have fond memories of drives with their parents to see those tracks within the Otways that Ron had gingerly navigated for years. As teens, they accompanied him on longer trips to Melbourne, enjoying these quiet times with their adored dad.
When Judy’s health began to fail, Ron became her devoted carer, calling on his well-honed cooking and domestic skills to ensure she was able to remain with him at their home in Colac. Ron maintained his fiercely independent lifestyle after her death in 2017, only requiring the help of his daughters over the last year or so. Ron passed on his secret recipes for relishes, jams and chutneys to his grand-daughters, thereby ensuring he remains a vital influence in their lives along with that of his great-grandchildren. The wooden toys he made for all the young Tanns down the years will likewise be treasured, always.

16/05/2026

The verandah of the restored 1900 House at Cobden’s Pioneer Dairy Park provided shelter for Tania Mora and Brad Gaut as they tied the knot this afternoon. Tania had wanted their ceremony to be held at a venue which reflected her love of times past and the park was the perfect location. The large lawned area is surrounded on three sides by the house, substantial shedding and a small hall, which provide a sheltered and quiet space for wedding ceremonies. Tania’s family joined her from ‘across the Ditch,’ with her brother David walking her to Brad’s side and daughter, Corrine, was her mother’s bridesmaid. After a 10.5 year courtship, today’s nuptials were heartily celebrated by the Gaut family and Brad and Tania’s circle of loving friends, some of whom had also jetted in from interstate for the occasion. And while Tania and Brad were certainly the focus of the day, they were upstaged by the loves of their life - poodles Doug and Shadow - who stood beside their adored pawrents, in their fetching tuxedos. Although Shadow was a tad overwhelmed by the proceedings, whimpering a couple of times, but Tania gently hushed him and he relaxed a little. The ceremony was almost concluded before the rain arrived, but as the surrounding buildings provided comfortable protection for guests, no-one was too concerned. The Gauts plan to cruise down Route 66 later in the year, so the excitement surrounding this next phase of their lives will last for a few more months yet.

14/05/2026

I received this lovely message from Neal yesterday evening; a gent just like his father. “Hi Denise, I didn't get to catch up with you after today, but thanks so much the service was just perfect.”

13/05/2026

The sun smiled this afternoon, as the Simmonds clan laid their patriarch, Keith, to rest at Cobden Cemetery. Keith turned 94 a month ago, so to say he’d had a long life is an understatement. His wife Maureen and children - Rodney, Wilma and Neal - ensured Keith’s life within the town of Cobden and local district was both celebrated and honoured. Son Neal and great-granddaughter Jess spoke lovingly of the man they genuinely admire. Over his working life Keith was a dairy farmhand, a truck driver who collected milk cans from farm gates and then a tanker driver. But his real love was being a grader operator. Keith graded hundreds of kilometres of roads within the Shire and pulled the big silver ball on the Settlement to clear land for new farms, activities he was tremendously proud of, always reminding his children of his achievements whenever they travelled together. Keith played football and cricket as a young man, with bowls becoming his game of choice in his 40s; he is a Life Member of the Cobden Football Club and Cobden Bowls Club. However, the mainstay of Keith’s life was the gentle Maureen who he married in 1950, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a devoted and loyal family man; gentle and patient; kind and generous. Pop loved to catch a crayfish or 10; was not a fan of cats in his veggie garden and took great pleasure in his red Commodore. Keith was a welcoming neighbour, enjoying the company of neighbours old and new; Mitchell Street was his patch. Keith’s clan continues to grow and his story will be lovingly told to the next generations.

10/05/2026

Wesley Place Colac was the perfect location for the family and friends of Frank Kervin to gather last week to say their final farewells. Frank spent the majority of his life in the Colac district, having grown up on his parent’s dairy farm before moving into the world of earth-moving, with his love of all things mechanical only growing over the years, especially for motor bikes and fast cars; very fast cars. Marrying local lady Anthea, they moved into their home in Church Street, Colac where they raised their 3 children - Susan (dec), Richard and Peter - and which remains the family home. According to his sons, Frank was a speed demon as a teen and never really outgrew his love of speed, saying road rules were not for him. However, he was responsible when it came to vehicle maintenance, teaching his 3 children, and daughter-in-law Honnie, the basics of car care, for which they are grateful. Frank loved a chat, never letting the truth get in the way of a good story; read the newspaper from front to back every day; was a VB can man who smoked Marlborough Red all his life. In fact, his sons said he usually had a can in one hand and a smoke in the other, with 3pm his evening ‘relaxation time’ while at Mercy Place; 5pm was out of the question!
Unfortunately the rain made its appearance at Colac Cemetery as Frank was being laid to rest with his beloved Anthea, but with umbrellas raised high, Frank’s family ensured his final salute was one his family will long remember.

29/04/2026

Camperdown identity Edie Smith (née Reilly) was laid to rest with her husband Fred in Camperdown this afternoon. Edie was the youngest of 8 children, growing up during the stressful years of the Great Depression and WW11, a time when both money and employment were in short supply. Living to the grand age of 98, Edie was the last of her siblings. Edie met Fred at a dance at the Chocolyn Hall, marrying when she was 21, as her father didn’t like the idea of his girls marrying young. Edie and Fred lived in Melbourne where Fred worked as a plumber, before returning to Camperdown where he gained employment with a local business. Children Brian and Shirley (dec) arrived in due course, with Edie and Fred eventually building their own home at 56 Manifold Street, where Edie remained up until 5.5 years ago, before her move to Cobden Health.
Fred and Edie established their own successful plumbing business, with Edie responsible for running the enterprise while Fred plumbed around the district. The Reillys were a musical family, all playing various instruments, with the girls singing at the local dances. Yodelling was always Edie’s particular claim to fame and she could even be relied upon to practise her ‘dark art’ for the residents of Cobden Health. Edie’s grandson, Chris, shared some heartwarming stories of Nan; of her wicked sense of humour, love of country music and fierce devotion to her 4 boys: son Brian and his 3 sons, Wayne, Chris and Scott. This loving, loyal and witty matriarch leaves an indelible mark on 4 generations of her family; an achievement to celebrate for years to come.

29/04/2026

Ten pound Pom David Fenn was laid to rest with his auburn-haired beauty, Norma, in Colac on 27th April. The Essex lad had met Norma from Geelong in England in 1955, falling for her quite hard, courtesy of his lolly-throwing skills. He proposed before her return home in 1956, before dutifully following her to Geelong and they married in 1957. David’s younger sister Heather remained in England, sending him a loving tribute which was read by his great-grandchildren, Ivy and Isabella. David’s National Service was spent in Ireland during The Troubles, and he went on to serve in both the RAF and RAAF.
After he and Norma were married, and their children Carol and Michael arrived, they established a dairy farm in Irrewarra, eventually purchasing a beef farm called East Kirkby, where they successfully ran an Angus beef stud, encouraging their grand-daughters to follow in their footsteps. David was a keen golfer too, who enjoyed the cut and thrust of greens, fairways and the 19th hole. His grand-daughters described Pa as equally chivalrous, profane when the mood took him, a bit of a pyromaniac and cheery, with his love of sweet treats a family trait. The girls agreed he had passed that sweet gene onto all his grandchildren and their children, as well.

29/04/2026

Pip Martin’s (née Banks) family and friends gathered in the dining room at The Commercial Hotel on 23rd April to honour the life of a cheerful and cheeky woman whose life was centred on her family. Pip passed away in Naracoorte SA on 6th April and will be laid to rest in Camperdown at a later date. Pip attended Tandarook South Primary School before completing her education in Shepparton after the family moved onto a dairy farm in Tallygaroopna. Pip trained as a vet nurse in Shepparton, and it was there she met Ken Martin, marrying him in 1969. Children Richard and Geoffrey were born in Shepparton, with Neil arriving once they settled in Colac. Pip and Ken share-farmed in Princetown and Cooriemungle, before moving onto their own farm north in Tongala. Moama was their next move, before their retirement to Donovans in SA. Pip’s skills as a vet nurse meant she quickly found employment wherever she lived, an achievement her family rightly celebrates.

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Cobden, VIC
3266

Telephone

61436030180

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