FAMILY and friends of a former Yeoval man who died suddenly at his home in Victoria have set up a fundraiser to help pay for the cost of bringing him back to his home town.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Shane Kilby’s family was shattered to hear of his sudden death on June 25, not long after he had returned from shearing in Western Australia.
A funeral for the 33-year-old was expected to be held at St Brigid’s Church in Dubbo on Friday.
Mr Kilby’s friends Tim Nixon and Dane West have established the Bring Kilby Home Facebook page with the aim of raising at least half of the $10,000 it was expected to cost to bring Mr Kilby home.
Mr Nixon described Mr Kilby as a “happy-go-lucky bloke who always had a goofy grin on his face”, who loved motorbikes and a beer with mates.
“If you met him you’d never forget him,” he said.
“He was a real character - we always said we should write a book about him and hopefully later on we will be able to set something up as a legacy.
“Shane loved playing his guitar and music and he used to have two dogs, Sally and Tommy, who were like his children.”
Mr Nixon said he had met a young Shane on the school bus in the Yeoval area about 28 years ago and from that day they had become friends.
Mr Kilby was known as a “fairly handy shearer” and had worked several years in the industry, moving to Edenhope in Victoria a few years ago.
“He went down for a job shearing and liked the place, bought a house and stayed,” Mr Nixon said.
Mr Kilby’s work had taken him to many parts of Australia, New Zealand and even Scotland, the latter presenting quite a challenge because “the sheep’s bellies were always wet”, he would often say.
While Mr Kilby was living in Victoria at the time of his death, he was well known in the shearing industry around Australia and had a lot of friends in the Yeoval area and further afield.
Details and further information about how to contribute to the fundraiser are contained on the Bring Kilby Home Facebook page.
