But he will not be forgotten by the city whose centre bears so much evidence of his commitment, time and investment.

Mr Bolam’s death a week-and-a-half ago shocked and saddened the city he and his wife Rosie had called home for more than 40 years.

It wasn’t just the buildings he had created in Bathurst’s CBD (though they were plentiful) that made him such an important figure in the city, it was also his willingness to share his success and help those who needed it.

Bathurst Regional Access Committee chairman Bob Triming said Mr Bolam was always ready to have a chat if they met in the street, irrespective of his schedule.

Mayor Gary Rush said Mr Bolam provided assistance to charities and families experiencing medical hardship and acted as a mentor to businesspeople and the young.

Others have spoken of his foresight as a civic leader in Bathurst, innately understanding the city’s needs for the future.

In a 2014 interview with the Western Advocate, when he had been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community of Bathurst, Mr Bolam explained the appeal of creating something tangible.

“When I left school I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I soon realised I enjoyed the thrill and satisfaction of creating things, of being a ‘builder’,” he said.

The Bathurst CBD has been the beneficiary of the satisfaction he finds in building: from the former Tindalls Corner eyesore to the Centrelink complex on Russell Street to his loft-style apartment on George Street to the new building near the corner of Howick and George that has only finally taken shape in recent months.

Few Bathurst residents would be able to name another builder and developer of properties in the city’s CBD, but most would know Mr Bolam.

In the same 2014 interview, Mr Bolam emphasised how much the city meant to him.

“When our family drove into Bathurst in our car and caravan in 1974, little did we realise how fortunate we were to settle in this city,” he said.

“We are intensely proud of Bathurst, its history, its pioneers, its buildings and its people. We are all so blessed to live here.”

And Bathurst was lucky to have such a good friend.