Albury tailor Robert Saville has died aged 97, just two years after he stopped working

He had run a shop in Albury's Amp Lane from 1949 to October 2006 before a rental row forced him out and he continued to work from home.

Mr Saville, 97, died late on Sunday night, two years after packing away his measuring tape.

"That was the love of his life, his work," wife Merle Saville said.

Mr Saville was born near the German-Poland border in June 1918.

He was studying to follow his parents and uncles into the tailoring world when the Nazis rose to power and he was forced through 14 different concentration camps.

After working for a United Nations refugee agency following World War II, Mr Saville arrived at the Bonegilla migrant camp in June 1949 and promptly suffered pneumonia because he had given away his winter clothing.

However with the goodwill of the owner of dressmaking business Anne of Paris, Mr Saville set up in Amp Lane in October 1949.

As demand for tailor-made suits rose, Mr Saville employed six other tailors, many of whom were fellow immigrants.

A rental dispute saw Mr Saville depart in bitterness in 2006 after not being given an extra year on his agreement.

"The harder I work, the happier I am," Mr Saville told The Border Mail in 2007, after setting up at home.

"They basically had to carry me out on my last day."

Mr Saville's daughter Jenni Saville said: "He was quite heartbroken when he had had to leave his shop, but he did set up at home and a lot of customers followed him."

Frail hands and poor mobility eventually prompted Mr Saville to stop working, having made and repaired thousands of suits, jackets and dresses.

Away from work, Mr Saville enjoyed fishing, collecting cameras and the company of his family.

He married Merle at Albury's St Matthew's Anglican Church in February 1954 and they had three children Greg, Amanda and Jenni.

Mr Saville's funeral will be held at John Hossack Funeral Services in Albury from 2pm on Friday.