General News
3 March, 2023
Huge crowd honours community stalwart
Tom Blair loved his family, his farm and his community. About 500 people overflowed from the main body of Horsham's St Andrews Uniting Church into its choir loft, foyer and hall for Mr Blair's funeral, led by Pastor Susan Hobbs. His service to many...
Tom Blair loved his family, his farm and his community.
About 500 people overflowed from the main body of Horsham's St Andrews Uniting Church into its choir loft, foyer and hall for Mr Blair's funeral, led by Pastor Susan Hobbs.
His service to many organisations is recorded in decades, not years.
Mr Blair, 84, was a Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) member for about 50 years and a Horsham VFF past president.
His other community roles included being a member of the Wimmera Machinery Field Days committee for 55 years and a member of Pea Growers Co-operative at Donald.
He was a Horsham Agricultural Show committee life member, his sheep often taking first prize in its carcass competitions.
He was also a Horsham City Bowling Club life member, rarely missing a chance to bowl or join in "happy hour". His bowling experience was made all the more rewarding because he shared it with son, Geoff.
Field days comittee and bowling friends formed a guard of honour for Mr Blair at his funeral.
Mr Blair was known for his work ethic and loved working around the farm – but did not love the book-keeping that was attached to it.
His family said he could recall facts and figures about the weather, crop yields and farming from years back.
His passion for the land and the animals he bred was unquestionable but he had difficulty with some regulations imposed on farmers.
Mr Blair's son Peter said at his funeral: “O, H and S were just three random letters to Tom.” He did, however, embrace the regulations, and his high-vis gear was complete with his name and Blairfarms emblem.
His farm, Bangerang Plains at Kalkee, was a venue for many farm-related visits, including by delegations from overseas.
Mr Blair was born at Donald on August 11, 1938, the first son and third child of Robert "Reg" and Osburga Blair.
When baby Thomas was six months old his mother died, leaving Reg with three small children. He later remarried and three more children were added to the family.
When young, Mr Blair lived at Warracknabeal, the original Blair farm being at Watchem.
His father later had land between Watchem and Warracknabeal but lugging wheat bags in the Wimmera’s hot dry summers was difficult so Reg moved the family to a property near Hamilton to take up sheep farming.
Reg later built a home on a property about 10 kilometres from Hamilton. The Blairs also had land at Vectis near Horsham, camping out while working that farm.
Tom Blair preferred farm work to learning and left school in Hamilton as soon as he reached the legal age of 14. From that time he worked on the farm full-time.
Cold weather and sheep rot helped Mr Blair to decide in 1958 to buy land at Kalkee, Bangerang Plains, where he could concentrate on wheat and grain farming.
At 16 he had met Heather Millard, then 13, of Byaduk near Hamilton. The two had been fast friends since that time, and in 1960 they married and moved to Kalkee.
There they had four children: Peter, Geoff, Susie and Kellie. They would later become the grandparents of 11 and great-grandparents of one.
It was clear to all at the funeral that Tom was dearly loved by his family. Susie spoke of him with great love and admiration.
Mr Blair died peacefully in Ballarat Base Hospital on December 17 last year. His funeral service was held on December 29.
“Like his father before him, farming was Dad’s very existence,” daughter Kellie said in his eulogy. “He just loved it.”
She added: “What an industrious, honest, rich and full life he lived. He was so proud of his family and so proud of his farm.
“He died a contented and happy man.”