A man of many talents, ‘Bill’ as he was affectionately known, was born at home in Liechhardt, Sydney, on May 9, 1920.

He married his wife Joan at St Mark’s, Granville, in 1942 before the couple moved to Narrawallee in 1968.

Their house was the third built in the new suburb, Bill’s son Lindsay McMurdo said.

“The road was all dirt when Mum and Dad built out there, [it was] a dirt road from the highway, down the gully and up the hill into Narrawallee,” Lindsay recalled.

Bill completed his apprenticeship on the NSW Government’s railways and put his skills as a fitter and machinist to good use around Milton-Ulladulla during his retirement.

He built, repaired and replaced batteries on trawlers, trucks and many other machines around the community. Bill called it “Tunapower”, although it was pronounced “tonne-a-power”, Lindsay said.

“When he came down to Narrawallee he used to build massive, big batteries for all the trawlers,” he said.

“It was interesting, one young lady at the nursing home there said ‘love Billy, he used to make the batteries for my uncle’s trawler’.”

His “happy face” was seen around town for the past 50 years. He drove school buses for seven or eights years, Lindsay said.

Bill later put his knowledge of the South Coast to good use, informing older folks on excursions to nearby regions.

He also developed a reputation as a beer-maker after he won prizes at the Milton Show, although his special brew was not for the faint of heart.

“Dad used to brew beer and the solicitor, John Hozack, rang me the other day, and he said, ‘Lindsay, you know your Dad made a beautiful brew of stout,” Lindsay said.

However, he also made “this blasted stuff” known as rocket fuel among the family.

“You’d put a cup full in a car and you’d go to Brisbane,” Lindsay chuckled.

Endearing memories of Bill were forged at Sarah Claydon. While living at a unit there he would take his portable electric organ across to retirement home and play for what he called the “oldies”.

“He used to say ‘son I can’t see you today, I’m going over the play for the oldies’,” Lindsay said. 

“I’d say, ‘but Dad, you’re 90, you’re probably older than any of them there’.

“He loved that.”

Finally, Lindsay recalled working with his father before he joined the Navy. 

“[He was] very influential in his younger days as he was a union delegate with his trade, always sticking up for the rights [of people] because he came through a depression, then the Second World War,” Lindsay said.

“[He saw] horrible things that a depression could do and that influenced him into always sticking up for the rights of his fellow men and women. When I left school, I worked with Dad and saw what he did as a union delegate.

Bill is remembered by his son and daughter, two grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

He was fondly remembered at his funeral in Ulladulla on Friday.