Mr Brooks died late last week after a courageous 11-year battle with cancer.

A friend of more than 50 years, Barry Edmunds, said the city where he grew up, worked, raised a family and played sport would be poorer for his absence.

"There won't be a statue erected or his name go up in lights because he was a quiet achiever, but he achieve he did," Mr Edmunds said.

"He was hard to repay with a favour because he was a giver not a receiver."

After leaving Albury High School aged 15, he joined Roxburgh Snare & Co, which is today known as Crowe Horwath.

As part of his early training, Mr Brooks had to study three nights a week at Albury Technical College between 6pm to 10pm in order to obtain membership of the Australian Society of Accountants.

Mr Brooks became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, and a partner, in 1973, remaining a partner after a merger with Peat Marwick Mitchell, later known as KPMG.

He retired as a KPMG partner in 1999, but worked on a consultancy basis for several years until retirement.

Inevitably business life became intertwined with playing football for Albury Tigers and cricket for North Albury.

After retiring as a player, he held many administrative roles for the Tigers including director, secretary manager and treasurer.

On top of his love of red wine, pies and breeding cattle on his Bullioh farm, Mr Brooks' other passion was horse racing with a long association with Corowa trainer Geoff Duryea.

At the time of his death, Mr Brooks remained a part-owner of the Duryea-trained, Challenge Accepted, who returns from a spell at Wangaratta on Sunday.

Challenge Accepted is considered one of the leading chances for the NSW Country Championships heat at Albury on March 19.

Mr Brooks is survived by his wife Dawn, children Matthew, Megan, Sarah and families.