The sheer joy of riding one of his beloved classic motorbikes was usually etched on Wayne Adams' face.
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Just weeks ago he rode to Taralga on a restored Matchless bike with good mate, Rob Wallace.
"Rob looked over and said Wayne had a smile from ear to ear," former wife, Toni related this week.
Motorbikes might have been a passion but it was just one aspect of a varied life remembered by family and friends. Mr Adams sadly lost his life in a farm accident on his Murrays Flat Road property on Wednesday, December 15.
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He had been slashing a paddock that morning when the vehicle apparently struck a rock, causing him to fall. Police said the tractor ran over Mr Adams before rolling down an embankment, into a dam.
Good friend, Geoff Bland, found him after he had failed to turn up for their weekly coffee catch-up.
His passing has devastated family and a wide circle of friends.
Born a leap year baby on February 29, 1948 on Sydney's Northern Beaches to Harrie and Esme Adams, Newport Beach was like a "second home," according to daughter, Skye. He attended Narabeen High School with Nat Young, who became a famous Australian surfer.
"He would often talk about the time when the teacher would chastise Nat for wagging school and claim that he would amount to nothing but a beach bum," Skye said.
"Dad would cringle when Nat would pull up next to his Holden Commodore in a gold Mercedes and say g'day. 'Geez, I wish I had wagged school and surfed with Nat', he would say."
During this time he became involved with Sport and Recreation camps and teaching outdoor skills to young people. It motivated him to study a teaching diploma at Kuringai, following in his teacher father's footsteps.
By 1976, Mr Adams was one of several highly credentialed teachers selected for Goulburn's new Wollondilly Demonstration School. He went on to teach at Bradfordville Primary School, where he met lifelong friend Graham Slater, then Goulburn Public School, followed by Illawarra Institute of TAFE, Goulburn, where he taught adult numeracy and literacy and became head teacher.
"Dad also fell into teaching children with disabilities because he had such a kind, caring nature," daughter Jessica said.
"The students would see him down town and their faces would light up.
"...Dad had a secure upbringing but he always had a soft spot for the underdog or those who weren't so lucky. Those kids had respect for him; he never forgot their names and they didn't forget him."
For the same reason, Mr Adams also taught Goulburn jail inmates, apprentices and anyone else who needed help with their studies. Police asked him to teach troubled youth at PCYC and he loaned his expertise to Aboriginal programs at the Goulburn Police Academy.
"He would have taught a lot of Goulburn," Skye said.
Classic love of motorbikes
Just as well known was his passion for motorbikes. Mr Adams was an original member of Goulburn Classic Riders and in his writing for the club, assumed the pen name, 'Spokes.'
He had a generous collection of Matchless, Douglas and many other bikes and loved nothing more than restoring them to ridable condition.
In 1994, Mr Adams wrote The Racing Boys, an account of the 1914 Tourist Trophy of Australia which 10 years later, turned into the first Australian Grand Prix.
"Dad was a quietly spoken man but when he put pen to paper, he was so articulate," Skye said.
He also instigated installation of a memorial at Mountain Ash Road marking the Grand Prix's anniversary.
Mr Adams was front and centre organising the club's annual swap meets. When he later broke his pelvis and fractured his skull in an accident in Goulburn, he became the club's marshal and coordinator.
He had married Toni in 1985 and together they had two daughters. Skye and Jessica recalled many beach holidays where their qualified lifesaver father saved the lives of people in distress.
"He was always coming to someone's aid...He was the go to guy on everything," Jessica said.
Their father also enjoyed fishing, played rugby for the Goulburn Dirty Reds and hockey for Drifters.
Toni recalled a man who approached everything with passion, whether fighting for TAFE's survival, for people with disabilities or researching his family's war service history, of which he was immensely proud.
Sister-in-law Judy Fowler said Mr Adams paid for placards supporting TAFE out of his own pocket. In 2015 he participated in a public debate about the institution.
"It's hard to be positive and I don't wish to be negative, but I do believe if we don't stand up and try and do something we are going to lose Goulburn TAFE," he said at the time.
"We had 47 full-time teachers when I started. I made a count up the other day and we now have 13 full-time teachers at Goulburn TAFE."
Dr Ursula Stephens, who taught with Mr Adams at TAFE in the 1990s, said he was a gifted and well-liked teacher. Together they did a radio literacy program reading Goulburn Post stories on radio. Mr Adams was also a member of Goulburn District Unions.
"He was a lovely man who was completely invested in our community," she said.
A thirst for education also drove him to study a Masters of Communication. Mr Adams travelled to Samoa and did his thesis on the cultural symbols in tattooing.
He retired from teaching in 2008 and two years later bought the Murray Flat Road property for horticulture. True to style, he didn't just plant one type of berry, but numerous varieties.
"He wouldn't just put one row of pumpkins in but a whole paddock full," Jess laughed.
Her father doted on her two daughters, two-year-old Georgia and Isabella, four, and always read to them.
Last year he dressed as Santa and rode his bike to Anglicare playgroup to surprise the children.
Jessica and Skye said their father spent his last night on the property looking at the stars just as he had wanted.
"We will always remember him as a big-hearted guy who would drop anything to help people," Skye said.
Mr Adams is also survived by his sister, Robyn, and son-in-law Daniel.
Funeral details will not be released when coroners' investigations are complete. However, Goulburn Classic Riders members will escort their friend's hearse from a service at Goulburn and District Racing Club to Craigs Hill Crematorium on the day.
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