KIAMA’S FOND FAREWELL FOR COMMUNITY WORKHORSE

No-one was safe from his fundraising,

Jim Attwaters son Peter reflects with humour on his fathers efforts to raise funds for Warillas Peterborough Special School hydrotherapy pool, which was later named in Jims honour

Members of the Attwater family pay their respects at yesterdays funeral service for Jim Attwater (inset) who passed away on Friday after a nine-month battle with cancer.

JIM Attwaters devotion to family, friends and the community was remembered fondly at a funeral for the 76-year-old in Kiama yesterday.

Mr Attwater died on Friday after a nine-month battle with cancer. His passing came just seven months after the death of his wife, 78-year-old Elma, and coincided with his eldest son Peters birthday.

Around 50 friends and family turned out to pay their respects to a man who was remembered

as a wonderful father, grandfather and great

grand-father and a great mate to all who knew him.

Mr Attwaters service to the community particularly through his efforts to raise money for Peterborough Special School drew special mention from the schools principal this week as news of his passing swept through Kiama.

Peter Attwater delivered his fathers eulogy at SS Peter & Paul Catholic Church and told of his fathers love of mateship.

Obviously only the five children have called him Dad everyone else knew him as Jim grand-

children, great-grandchildren and our friends were all instructed by Dad to call him Jim.

On reflection I guess it was part of Dads nature to think that if you knew somebody by their first name, it was a sign of mateship and Dad enjoyed being a mate more than anything else, he said.

Born in Cooma in 1930, Jims father died when he was just five years old, which family members say played a part in his free spirited approach to life.

Dads free-spiritedness lasted until his death, Peter told those who attended yesterdays service.

Peter and Elma had five children, three born before Peter had marked his 22nd birthday.

Jim was one of the original Snowy Mountains Scheme employees in 1949. With cheap rent offered in newly-built houses to Snowy scheme families it was an offer too good to refuse for the young couple and their growing brood of children.

Dad worked in engineering administration as a payroll officer ... Dad took the pay in cash to the men in the mountains, in the tunnels and at the dam sites driving jeeps, snowploughs, power

wagons and, according to him, at times on

horseback.

Dads stories of life in those early Snowy dad enthralled the children and their children forever.

He would later be one of the schemes 49ers honoured at the Snowy Schemes 50th anniversary.

After leaving Cooma in 1966 , the couple lived in Melbourne for 20 years before moving to Kiama two decades ago.

Here he embraced family life and revelled in the role of grandfather.

Jim was their hero and Dad loved their diversity whether their career was in opera or plumbing, said Peter.

In their younger years all of the grandchildren fell prey to Dads sense of humour, particularly his stories of the mythical and politically incorrect Black Billy, who, when mentioned had the uncanny ability to get grandchildren to eat Nans dinner, behave or go to sleep.

All of the grandchildren look back to the many times they found pirates treasure buried on Jones Beach, having fortuitously come across an ancient map which gave directions to the waiting booty. None of them ever wondered how the pirates of yesteryear came into possession of modern day coins and trinkets. They still talk about being connect by Jim, said Peter.

A job with Shellharbour Workers Club led to Jims involvement with Peterborough Special

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School and the establishment of a charity golf day to assist the schools annual budget an event that

continues to this day.

When he discovered that the school needed a

swimming pool he made it his personal mission.

Nobody was safe from Dads fundraising his favourite ploy was to invite a prospective sponsor to the school for a personal visit. No-one ever left without

handing over something, money, goods or services, said Peter.

We hadnt seen Dad in this mode previously and it was heartwarming.

The school also fondly recalled Jims fundraising efforts to see a hydrotherapy pool installed at their Warilla site for the use of the disabled children.

Jim Attwater could be described as the Patron Saint of Peterborough, said Peterborough Special School principal Sue Corkery when contacted by the Independent this week.

He worked tirelessly for the school, instigating a charity golf day through Shellharbour Workers Club that is still going to this day.

Thanks to Jim and his dedication to the school and its students a dream was realised when on the 28th of November 1997 Peterborough officially opened the Jim Attwater Hydrotherapy Pool.

He would often stop by the school and ask what we needed.

He would have a strong black coffee, chat to the

students and then set about achieving our next dream, she said.

Thanks to Jim, Peterborough School continues to realise dreams. Many of the programs we have at Peterborough would not have been possible if it were not for Jim Attwater.

We have a lost a truly great man an inspiration.

During his life Jim Attwater was a keen sportsman, excelling particularly at tennis and golf and for several years was a member of Kiama Golf Club.

Not long after his official retirement, Mr Attwaters wife Elma was struck down by Alzheimers Disease and for several years he devoted his life to caring for her at home until she passed away in February.

Mr Attwater is survived by his children Peter (Kiama), Julie (Seymour), Lindy (Melbourne), Matthew (Woodonga) and Louise (Kiama); 12 grandchildren and six great grandchildren and also an elder sister, Angela, of Cooma.

The funeral service at Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Church yesterday was followed by a private burial at Jamberoo cemetery.