Truckies came from everywhere to say goodbye to a man described by his children as “absolutely hilarious”.
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Some turned up in full work gear to say their farewells to Gary “Robbo” Robertson, leaving their trucks parked in a long line on the street outside.
Others arrived with hi-vis work wear peeking out from under dress shirts and spattered work boots poking out from trousers to remember a man who died in a truck incident outside the Moss Vale Limeworks last month.
Mr Robertson, who had been the focus of a tribute that saw truckies all over the region driving with their lights on last week, took a light-hearted approach to life.
“I actually found it really difficult to say anything serious about your life, dad,” said his eldest son Michael Robertson.
“Everything that surrounded his life was always a joke, was always hilarious. Let’s face it, he never had a serious bone in his body.
Michael remembered driving in his dad’s truck, where he had the job to dust down the dashboard and gauges and sweep the floor when he got in and out of the cabin.
His son saw his father as “a hardworking man who kept his promises and honoured commitments”.
“The truth is I was extremely proud of my dad,” Michael said.
“He was my hero and I wanted to be just like him. And I still do.”
Mr Robertson’s daughter Jenna said he was “absolutely hilarious, by far the funniest person I knew”.
“Dad was so proud of us and he was such a softie, especially when it came to his grandson Cruz,” Jenna said. "He absolutely adored him.”
She said her father “will always be in our hearts”.
“Your love, your compassion, your understanding, your wisdom and your infectious sense of humour will live on inside us forever,” she said.
“You have given us gifts that are more precious than anything in this world.”
Celebrant Lorraine Lehman-Jones read a letter from Mr Robertson’s partner Bernadette Hewish in which she called him the life of the party and would miss him like crazy.
“I will love you now and forever, and will be okay baby, so it’s time to rest,” she said.
After the funeral, Mr Robertson’s coffin was transported on the back of Murrell’s Freight Lines truck, with upwards of 20 trucks following in a convoy.
A wake was held at the Cabbage Tree Hotel in Fairy Meadow.
Mr Robertson is survived by his partner Bernadette, children Michael, Jenna and Jake and stepchildren Cassidy and Tyson.