ALAN Chick pointed out before his father Maurice’s funeral on Friday that when you get to 90 a lot of your mates are not going to still be alive to say farewell.

But it was unfortunate two of his life-time friends that survived him could not be there on Thursday.

Peter Carter is in hospital in Sydney while the surviving member of the Albury Club’s Grumpy Old Men group, Arch McLeish was just a day away from leaving the Albury Private Hospital after undergoing surgery.

“It’s a pity I can’t be there today but it’s not happening,” Mr McLeish, a former Albury Mayor, said.

“I knew Maurie for about 60 years, both as a friend and a business associate.

“He was loyal, a self-starter and his word was his bond.”

Albury Club president Peter Atkins said he was in awe of Mr Chick and his fellow members of the Grumpy Old Men — Arch McLeish, Dal Delaney and Alan Foster.

“They were almost like gods, they commanded enormous respect; in my early days I was almost scared of them.

“But Maurice was a very humble man despite having achieved so much in his life and a great family man.”

One of Albury-Wodonga’s most successful businessman Colin Joss described Mr Chick simply as a great bloke.

“I had business dealings with him from shortly after I finished my apprenticeship,” Mr Joss said.

“His word was his bond but he didn’t suffer fools.

“When it came to making it happen in Albury, he and Tom Pearsall were absolute goers and they always had Albury at heart.”

Former member for Indi Lou Lieberman said Mr Chick was his first client as an articled clerk and who then stuck with him when he began his own legal practice.

“He was a great friend, loyal and a risk-taker but also at the same time a risk manager,” he said.

“Maurice had a great sense of fun and was a great bloke to be around.

“And he was always punctual, saying you had to be there when the concrete was ready to pour.

“He took great pride in his apprentices and was genuinely pleased when they went out on their own and they tendered against him.”