What mourners heard mainly confirmed what many already knew: he was an honest man, who loved his family, his community and life.

A quotation on the order of service summed it up: "Life is nonetheless beautiful despite the fact that it must come to an end."

Speakers included Mr Scarff's only child Elizabeth Bentley plus friends Dr John Beith and Richard Lawson.

Ms Bentley recalled a loving father with an encyclopedic knowledge of history and football.

"Dad could talk for hours on either subject and often did," she said.

"He was a loving father who expressed his love in his own way."

Dr Beith acknowledged a friendship that started with his arrival in Dubbo 45 years ago.

"Robert Scarff was one of the first people I got to know when I arrived in Dubbo in 1958," Dr Beith said.

"My first few months in practise were fairly quiet so I'd often duck into Robert's office at the cinema and have a chat."

Mr Scarff was proprietor and manager of the Monarch Theatre in Darling Street taking over after his father's death in 1957.

Dr Beith remembered fondly his old friend marshalling the children lining up outside the cinema waiting for the Saturday matinee.

"He was always impeccably dressed with a bow tie and all," Dr Beith recalled.

"There would be many of those children still living in Dubbo."

Former work colleague and friend Richard Lawson said Mr Scarff was born to be a big picture show man.

"It was neither by accident nor circumstance but by sheer force of a personality driven by passion," Mr Lawson said.

"Bob had a voracious appetite for information about his passions which was passed onto anyone willing and even some not so willing to listen to him."

Mr Lawson spoke of his personal admiration and that of younger work colleagues who were entranced by Mr Scarff's stories of the Dubbo they never knew.

"He had a vivid memory for a town a third the size it is today and the people who lived in it," Mr Lawson said.

"There was more gossip around in those days and Bob knew every bit or was part of it."

Former school rugby team-mates Bryce Crawford and Pat Saunders attended yesterday's service at St Andrews.

They were two of eight Scots College old boys forming a guard of honour to farewell their old friend.

Another tribute came in the form of piper Peter Mortimore who also attended Scots. He led the pallbearers into the church and later accompanied them out at the end of the service.

Much was said of Mr Scarff's service to the community, his time on Dubbo City Council, Dubbo Base Hospital board, the Westhaven board and his term as Rotary president.

Attending the funeral were three former mayors Gerry Peacocke, Tom Slattery and Allan Smith as well as Dubbo City Council general manager Tony Kelly.

A number of mourners returned to Dubbo for the funeral including Vi O'Connor, one of Mr Scarff's leading ladies from his musical days. Also there was another leading lady - Gwen Crampton.

On his retirement from the Daily Liberal in 1998 Mr Scarff said one of the saddest aspects of his work was writing the obituaries of so many dear friends.

"In some ways I'm an emotional man," he said at the time.

I'm usually happy but like anyone I have reflective times when I get a bit depressed.

"But if you don't feel sorry for yourself at times you are not normal.

"And if you are happy all the time you end up in Bloomfield.

"I like to think I'm a balanced person, although some might differ on that point.

"I've had a good life and Dubbo has been a good town to the Scarffs."