Bill was born and raised in Mullumbimby, he attended both primary and high school here. He wasn’t an academic but loved sports.
Bill played in the local field hockey team and went on to represent Mullum High in the school representative league team. He loved to surf and was in the car with Tom and brother John, boards on top and heading to Brunswick Heads (especially if the Bruns bar was pumping ) or as far as Coffs Harbour every weekend. Stories of their exploits can be found across several shires.
Bill married Joanne Brims of Chillingham and they have four children, Holly, Amanda, Ellie and James and three grandchildren Finn, Ari and Zane.
Bill was a keen gardener, inherited from his parents. A gifted handyman and DIY enthusiast, he loved spending time on the tools, shovel and mattock, shifting dirt, rolling basalt and creating jungles. His shed reflected this and the reclaimed timbers were stacked high.
His drop saw could be heard by neighbours until entirely too late at night. He knew every colour of every frangipani tree between Coolangatta and Lennox Head. If you had a rare colour, some branches would likely have been liberated, from your front yard.
With a great love for native plants, Bill was constantly putting them in the ground at any opportunity. This flowed into his enthusiasm for our native birds; he was always one to throw cracked corn. Bird populations increased ten-fold wherever Bill called home.
Bill was a well-known identity in Mullumbimby especially after he took over the menswear business from his parents Tom and Jean. He shared his dad’s gentle nature and knack for customer service. Whether you went into the shop to buy your Sunday best or just a pair of socks, he was always on for a chat.
Bill took up snorkelling after retirement and could be found with flippers and snorkel at the steps at the Bruns River. He was never short on advice – if he came across anyone who he thought required a little he would give it. A novice golfer, he could also often be found retrieving balls out of the cane fields surrounding Mullum Leagues Club.
He moved to Riverside Crescent, Brunswick Heads in February 2012, instantly erected ten-foot high shelves in his shed and an eight-foot fence, and the collection began again. Those who know, they know.
Loved a bargain
On most Saturdays you would find Bill and cousin Frank at an auction house scouring the items list for a bargain and anything that could become useful ‘one day’. Bill could spot a bargain; a beach towel or bicycle left unattended for a day or two, that was a good bargain.
For years he spoke of a motorhome, one day he finally purchased his dream Winnebago. Like the Volkswagen Caddy, or the Volkswagen Kombi before it, he found the Winnebago could hold a very large amount of items.
He had an individual sense of style and a shirt to match any occasion. He took a liking to Hawaiian shirts in more recent years, we think we counted well over 75.
Bill loved his music, he loved his shed, his Kombi and his collection of acquired frangipanis. We won’t mention the bicycle collection, or the spanners, or the hammers, or the garden pots, or the books, or the golf clubs, or the antiques…
Whether he was a friend, a father, an acquaintance or an eccentric, a cousin or a brother, Bill you will be missed.
