As the sun set over Goulburn, the family of the late Barry Keith Rolfe interred his ashes at the Craig's Hill Crematorium Tree Niche Gardens on Monday, January 17 2022.
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Barry passed away on July 17, 2020 peacefully at his home in Sanctuary Point.
COVID-19 meant that only a small number of family and friends attended his Memorial Service held at the Worrigee Chapel, Nowra on July 23 2020 and afterwards was taken to Goulburn by R.J.Sidney Craig for a private cremation.
Now that the restrictions are eased, his family came back to Goulburn to pay their final respects to their beloved husband, father and grandfather.
Barry, the second Son of Verdun and Ada Rolfe (deceased), was raised in Goulburn. He started school by correspondence with Blackfirars Correspondence School while residing on his family's 1200 hectare property known as 'Timberlight' at Oallen.
He spent brief periods of his schooldays at Windellama Public School, North Goulburn Public School and Goulburn High School.
His nine years at Correspondence School prepared him well for his future activities. His first six years were devoted to panel beating and welding as an apprentice to local firm Southern District Panel Beaters with Don Chalker which prepared him for his military service in the Royal Australia Air Force.
He started at the RAAF School of Technical Training and from there he spent the best part of 10 years in the service, in several occupations including air-frame fitting and electro-hydraulics.
From there he became a crewman on the Iroquois Helicopter, which led to his war service in South Vietnam with the Australian Task Force, where he did two tours of duty; 1969 and 1971.
His flying duties saw him as a crewman on the aircraft providing support to the ground troop, including insertion, resupply, casualty evacuation, fire support and extraction.
After his military service, Barry returned to rural activities in station hand and overseer roles concentrating on stock work and supervision as well as mechanical functions.
Barry joined the fledgling company Syntex Animal Health as representative in the southern region, later joining the ranks of Bayer Animal Health as Animal Health Nutrition Specialist based in the Riverina where he achieved the accolade of becoming the first Bayer representative to achieve the 'Million Dollar Salesman' award for NSW.
His expertise in his field led him being invited as a guest lecturer at Charles Sturt University (then RMIT) on Equnine Nutrition and Parasitology.
Barry and his wife Lynne contributed to the local community in the capacity of '25 Flight and 32 Flight Air Training Corp' both in Goulburn and Wagga, both achieving rank of Flying Officer. In their spare time they committee themselves to Rotary and Barry was a member of the Goulburn Lodge of Australia No.58.
Barry's Sons Andrew and Kai both served in the Royal Australia Navy and took with them the principles and fine attributes of their father.
Barry was known by many to be a man of wisdom and compassion; he had high moral values, he was a fair and honourable man that was trustworthy and chivalrous. He had an uncompromising manner when necessary; insisted on wearing his Wallabies footy jumper when he could, and refused to shave off his moustache for anyone or any occasion.
He was however, always willing to help those in need and lend a hand when it was evident that someone required assistance.
He had the ability to give joy and comfort to others and help them achieve emotional fulfilment, he knew how to help others ease themselves of suffering or physical and emotional hardships, through wise counselling and thoughtful behaviour.
Barry didn't cling to the success of his efforts or expect others to be grateful to him or to be rewarded; he simply and quietly moved on and continued to confront life's challenges and doing good as he went. He was also wise enough to realise that compassion is not always received with the grace that it is given.
At times it is met with suspicion or rejection. In such circumstances, he was aware that rejection of good intent is to often due to delusion and misconception and was not a personal issue. In either case Barry's reward for his efforts was that of personal enlightenment; he learned more about the virtue of giving and danger of self-indulgence.
He had the ability to look at the negative aspects of issues, but only look at them in order to walk beyond them, not to be transfixed by them.
During his lifetime, Barry held many positions of trust, confidence and honour. He was a man of rare personal attraction, of a genial and generous nature. Among his other involvements he was a member of the Vietnam Veterans Association and assisted veterans whenever he could.
His high moral integrity and fine ideals meant that we saw a man that had an immense respect for the worth and the dignity of an individual; that in return commanded the respect of others. However, his fidelity and loyalty to his family and friends was one of his greatest traits.
Barry was one of nature's noblemen, his spirit of humanity and of devotion to the good of all, carried over into all fields of endeavour. He was endowed with a fine mind and used it wisely. He was kind and generous and his manners were stamped with the gentleness and honesty of his nature.
A Friend of Barry's commented recently, "when I get to finally visit his memorial, and see 1945 dash 2020; I will know exactly what that dash means to me."
The Commonwealth Government and Department of Veterans Affairs have honoured Barry's Service to the nation by providing his last resting place with a suitably inscribed plaque from the War Graves Commission for placement on the Tree Niche Gardens at Craig's Hill Crematorium.
Barry Keith Rolfe
18/12/1945 - 17/07/2020
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