A CHERISHED member of the community; father, grandfather, cricketer, and scallywag Vincent ‘Vic’ Garoni will be remembered by his large family and through his incredible impact on the history of Myrtleford.
Vic’s son, Brett, commemorated his father’s life at the recent funeral, just weeks before his 87th birthday.
“Dad, Vincent Garoni, or better known as Vic to his friends, was born on December 2, 1937 at the old Myrtleford Hospital; Happy Birthday Dad,” he spoke to the crowd.
“Dad was known by his four siblings as always having the best fun and making sure everyone was ok.
“They could be found mucking around over the road, up the hill, sliding down on hessian bags and they loved riding their bikes through floodwaters and everywhere around town.
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“Also typical of Dad’s younger life was when he broke his arm and was in hospital; the next thing he arrived back home, escaping through the hospital window.
“He never liked hospitals and was always trying to get out of them right up until the time of his passing.
“Dad started primary school at Buffalo River, then went to St Mary’s Catholic School followed by secondary school at Myrtleford Consolidated School.
“All through his schooling days, he travelled there and back by riding his bicycle.
“He would fill the handlebars up with boiling water in the winter months to keep his hands warm.”
Vic’s first job was at the old sawmill in Myrtleford, before he began working for his next door neighbour Sam Lewis and Fred Green, now Greenfreight, for several years.
“His love of hard outdoor work also saw him working for Cuneen Brothers, felling pine trees and snigging them out to the trucks by draft horse,” Mr Garoni said.
“They used to start work around 4am and then be in the pub by 2pm.
“During this time, Dad loved playing cricket and football, and this is where he met the love of his life, Lois Abbott, a tall sporty girl who caught his eye.
“They would go dancing and enjoyed each other’s company during social outings.
“They married in July, 1962 at the Myrtleford Catholic Church when Dad was 24 years old,
“Soon after they married, Dad and Mum bought into the Ovens Store and stayed there for about three years; here they had their first son, me.
“Dad started working for Mum’s father, Ray Abbott, around 1969 at ‘Abbotts Valley Motors’ a service garage with the Datsun dealership.
“Dad took over from Ray a few years later and the business became a Nissan Dealership.
“He stayed there for approximately 46 years until closing in 2015.”
According to Brett, one of Vic’s great loves was cricket.
“He was an all-rounder himself,” he said.
“With Mick Dinneen, he started a new cricket club up in Myrtleford in the early 70’s, the Myrtleford Saints CC, with all the young local boys between 12 and 16 wanting to play.
“The club soon became the powerhouse of the competition and remained so for the next 30 years.
“In the early days, Dad and his teammates played at the showgrounds on matting.
“The Saints played against a team from the Beechworth Prison and Dad soon established a very good rapport with the prisoners.
“Every time he pulled up in the 120Y or the 180B, they would greet him at the car where Dad had cigarette cartons and bottles of port for them to share on the proviso they didn’t tell the guards; they loved Vic.
“In the latter stages of his life, Dad’s body started letting him down and he struggled to move freely around.
“Kev Dinneen, Keith Cundy and Johnny Welsh were always around, sneaking off to a pub together, or just sitting down talking about good times over a coffee.
“That bloody bent knee gave him some grief and the stubborn bugger didn’t want to get it fixed until it was too late, but he never complained, he was a true fighter, never took a backward step.
“He always had your back, a friend for life, a softie at heart and the best Dad, Pa, Grandpa and role model we could have ever dreamed of.
“We know you were proud of all of us Dad and you loved Mum so much; you never wanted to be away from her near the end.
“Today we honour you, and all you mean to us.
“We thank you and will look after Mum for you.
“We’ll have a drink for you this afternoon, and you can join us in spirit with your dearest mates.”
