Darren Smith can't remember one particular standout moment with his father.
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As far as he was concerned, every weekend was a highlight because his dad, Kevin Smith, came to almost every sporting fixture in which his children were involved.
"I'll remember him as a great dad who did a lot for us in sport and in life. He was always involved in what we did."
Kevin Smith, of Towrang, lost his life when the caravan he was towing on his Landcruiser inexplicably jack-knifed at Woodbine on the Hume Highway on the afternoon of Thursday, February 21.
The 4WD rolled several times, landing on its roof. The caravan wreckage lay nearby. He and wife Loretta were trapped in the vehicle. Mr Smith died at the scene while Mrs Smith was taken to Liverpool Hospital with a fractured back and broken ribs. She was still recovering there this week.
Darren said his father's death was an "absolutely awful shock" and his family was none the wiser about the accident's cause. Police are still investigating.
They do know Mr Smith had vast experience towing caravans and driving heavy vehicles, including semitrailers, cranes and horse floats.
The couple was returning from a holiday from son Shane and his family's Gold Coast home when the accident occurred. There they also celebrated Kevin's 70th birthday on February 5.
His brother, Allen, and his wife, Gail, are also coming to terms with his loss.
"He was a real character," Allen said.
"He could put anything together. I can remember him pulling apart lawn mowers."
The boys and their two sisters grew up at Eastgrove. Their father was a drover and Allen fondly remembered the sulky rides home from school, pinching fruit, swimming in the river and riding pushbikes.
"A ride home with dad in the sulky was pretty good. That's why horses are in our veins," he said.
He was nicknamed 'Snuff' after the cartoon character, 'Snuffy Smith.'
After attending Eastgrove Public and Goulburn High schools, Kevin joined the railway, firstly as a fireman. Then he worked for Kermac Engineering where he stayed for 50 years, finishing up as workshop foreman. His brother recalled Kevin's ability to readily draft plans.
"He wasn't qualified in anything but if you wanted something built he'd draw it up on the floor and build it," Allen said.
His "claim to fame" was that he cooked sausages on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Every year, Kermac erected the steel frame for the bridge's annual fireworks. Kevin also helped construct the Olympic rings for the structure in 2000.
Kevin and Loretta initially lived in Goulburn but moved to Towrang 35 years ago to raise their family, including daughter Janine. The block allowed plenty of room to run horses and for his other interest, bees.
The couple was married for 50 years and had seven grandchildren.
Allen said his brother loved children and delighted in making them laugh, like the day he made a mudslide in the driveway. He taught one of his grandsons how to drive.
"He loved a beer and a bit of a gamble. He wouldn't say much but then he'd come out with something funny," he said.
Allen last saw his brother on Boxing Day.
"If he was old or sick, you could accept it better," he said of his death.
"We've had a lot of his friends come and just talk quietly about him."
Meantime, Loretta's condition continued to improve daily, Gail Smith said.
A funeral for Kevin is yet to be held.
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