On April 13, the world of Brian’s family, friends and colleagues was turned upside down when he passed away in his home at the age of 61.

In a strange way there’s a sense of irony that such a thing would happen on ‘Black Friday’ because our lives, and indeed this masthead and its community, will never be the same.

Under Brian’s leadership, the Liberal was able to help countless residents through a wide array of community projects.

Whether it was a campaign aimed at ‘Breaking the Burglars’ and bringing down property crime rates, keeping politicians accountable to ensure Dubbo got its cancer centre, advocating for an alternate location to be found for Playmates Cottage, or supporting events such as the Rhino Awards, Dubbo Stampede and countless fundraisers to help locals, Brian was at the forefront.

Put simply, Dubbo is a better place for having had him here.

As a community, we have rallied around Brian’s beloved wife Adrienne and daughters Toni and Liv, and many a story has been told – usually followed by a laugh.

Brian would have had it no other way. He used his dry sense of humour to try and bring light to dark times, and, on the odd occasion, would humour himself to the point of almost being unable to tell the punchline due to laughter.

That usually came after a Monty Python reference or a tale of woe about the Wallabies, or when he’d been reminded of stories from his days in Fiji, South Africa, Papua New Guinea or other media outlets across Australia.

While we say farewell today to their husband and father, Brian’s girls can rest assured the love and compassion will continue and we will be there for them in any way possible.

For the past 13 days our staff have pushed beyond the sadness to continue to put out print and digital editions of the Liberal.

Again, being the dedicated newsman he was, Brian would have had it no other way – he would have been proud to see his team rallying together to get the job done through trying times.

You see, he not only brought a lifetime of media experience to this newsroom, he brought life experience as well.

And, like so many others in the community, we will miss him dearly.

Brian’s funeral will be held on April 26, at 2.30pm at St Andrews Chapel in Wingewarra Street, Dubbo.