Brian Fraser was born at his family’s farm “Heatherlie” Tallangatta in 1935 and spent his life there – it was a farm and district he loved.
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There would be few people in the Tallangatta Valley who hadn’t benefited from his generous community-minded approach to life.
Mr Fraser died peacefully at “Heatherlie” on Wednesday.
Between raising five children with wife Mary and running the family’s successful sheep and cattle farm, Mr Fraser always found time for others.
He was president of Tallangatta’s primary and high schools, has been recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow for his work with the Tallangatta Rotary Club, was involved with the Tallangatta Valley fire brigade for more than 60 years, including serving as CFA District 24 group officer for more than two decades.
Mr Fraser was a district Victorian Farmers Federation president for many years, established the Albury-Wodonga Superfine Wool Growers' Association and was an original director with the Australian Wool Network.
In 2002 he drew national attention to a crisis faced by many farmers when he organised and chaired a National Wild Dog Summit.
It was the first time landholders, wild dog experts and control agencies met together and developed a uniform approach to tackling the wild dog issue.
And he found time for other things.
There’s his national speedboat driving championship, his time as a respected writer and commentator on rural issues and Tallangatta Golf Club championships. That was after he helped establish the golf club which went from an idea to working sand-scrape course, complete with Milo tins for holes, in just three weekends.
Long-time friend and wild dog advocate Stuart Morant said he was a fantastic grassroots worker for his community.
“I don’t think there’d be a thing in the Valley that he hadn’t been a chairperson of, he made a wonderful public contribution,” Mr Morant said.
In 2006 he appeared on ABC television’s The New Inventors with the Krata Shaka he developed with a neighbour. It allowed workers on road maintenance gangs to spread cement and other dry binder materials in a fraction of the time it usually took.
“He had a very involved community life and got on well with people, and he was a good farmer and was a good family man,” Mrs Fraser said.
Mr Fraser is survived by his wife and children Kate, Belinda, Mac, Sarah and Anna and 11 grandchildren.
The family will hold a private funeral on Saturday, January 14.
