BATHURST has lost a talented musician, expert groundsman and curator and loving family man.
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The sudden passing of Doug Rowe at home last Thursday will leave in a void in many people’s lives.
His funeral will be held at the All Saints’ Anglican Cathedral in Church Street on Monday at 11am.
Mr Rowe will be fondly remembered by the school community at All Saints’ College, where he left a huge legacy.
The high esteem he was held in at the school was highlighted in the 2009 All Saints’ College Year Book The Bathurstian in a piece written by Bruce Clydsdale.
“Groundsman Doug Rowe came to All Saints’ in 1990, having spent the previous four years on the staff at St Ignatius’ College (Riverview) and The King’s School,” Mr Clydesdale wrote.
“A New Zealander by birth, he attended Palmerston North Boys High School where his first insight into Australia came as a member of the school’s touring cricket team. He enjoyed the balmy 20C July weather in Sydney so much he decided ‘this was for me’, which later was to influence his decision to emigrate. His love and skills in cricket were moulded by his father, who was a New Zealand Test player.
“Returning to Australia, Doug picked up the skills associated with being a groundsman and, in particular, the preparation and maintenance of cricket pitches from the ‘old-time greenkeepers’ at King’s and Riverview.
“Doug has another side to life of note – music. This is his current ‘spare-time’ passion and on leaving All Saints’, will become his full-time occupation.
“His band Pig Iron Bob has played for the past six years at the college’s Presentation Ball. He has produced a number of CDs with his previous band Heatwave and is currently making music film clips and iTunes.
“With encouragement from the music department he became involved in the college choir and consequently a role model for boys in this activity.”
Mr Clydesdale noted that Doug coached the 14 years and college 1st XI cricket teams for six years.