Tribute to Billy Rea

Long time Peninsula resident and Troubadour folk club member Gordon William (Billy) Rea passed away recently after a long battle with cancer.

His brother Jimmy Rea provided an obituary and Troubadour president Mr Carl Desborough read his eulogy at the funeral.

"Bill was born at North Sydney in 1926.

"He was named Gordon William but he always chose to be called Bill," Jimmy Rea said.

"He had a very sad start to his life when he contracted polio at the age of two years.

"He was in and out of hospitals and wore irons on his leg all that time.

"In those days, they did not have the medical knowledge they have today.

"However, he carried on through those young years with the help of his parents, not letting anything get to him.

"He went forward and he grew to love singing and music.

"When he really got into music, he played the piano accordion and he used to play it almost all the time.

"Then he bought a guitar and he started to sing and play.

"We used to go to radio 2SM on a Saturday morning when they had a hillbilly show as it was called before it became Country and Western music.

"In the early days, one of the entrepreneurs was Bill McColl and Bill signed a contract with him and they used to sing at the town halls and Schools of Arts all round Sydney.

"I remember I used to go with him and I was so proud of him.

"I know my mum and dad were also proud of him.

"Before TV came to Australia, most of our entertainment came by radio.

"They had a show called The Amateur Hour run by Terry Deer.

"Bill and his mate Laurie Townsend entered and they made the grand finals as The Westernairs.

"They didn't win, but making the grand final was a huge step on their part.

"Bill used to sing in pubs and clubs or whenever they had live entertainment."

His brother said Bill could also play the trumpet, the mouth organ and the whistle.

"He could draw, paint in oils, watercolours, pastel pencils and charcoal drawings," he said.

"Bill used to race model sailing boats.

"He started his own business as a pest control operator.

"He used to study in our bedroom of a night as well as learning to read music and play his guitar.

"He was the first member of our family to fly in a plane.

"They took him down to Melbourne for the grand finals of The Amateur Hour and I remember how we all listened crowded around the radio.

"The whole family including my younger brothers and sisters couldn't wait to ask him about the airplane trip.

"I remember he made me give up smoking as a young fellow.

"He told me it would stunt my growth.

"I gave it up.

"I was 5'3" then and I am still 5'3", so I think he told me a porky.

"My brother was a lovely man with a beautiful disposition.

"I don't think he had an enemy in the world.

"I never heard anyone say a bad word about him.

"He was a very kind brother.

"Bill was on many government committees as an adviser for people with disabilities on the Central Coast: Housing, ramps on gutters, ramps in shopping centers, wheel chair taxis.

"So when you go down a ramp, when you cross the road, remember Bill was one of the instigators of them.

"When his wife passed away, he turned to music to hide his grief and through that he met a lot of good people.

"His neighbours especially helped him towards the end and made life easier for him.

"But his main friends were the people from the folk group who he loved with a passion. "Every time I saw him or spoke to him he would tell me about the folk group who treated him, he said, like an icon.

"Seeing that he was the older of the group, he tried to pass on his knowledge to the younger members.

"He told me he had taken up yodeling again, which he hadn't done for years.

"It is sad for Bill to finish his journey like this as he still had many plans ahead to do what he wanted a bit more life than his 80 years.

"He had his best years living in Woy Woy and we the family, would like to thank all his friends and neighbours for being so kind to him in his last days."

Troubadour president Mr Carl Desborough said: "Billy Rea was a special part of the Troubadour.

"I remember the first time my wife Leila and I came to a Troubadour event ... the very first performer we saw was a softly-spoken man who looked a bit like a cowboy, played his old guitar and sang classic songs in a surprisingly true voice," Mr Desborough said.

"We noticed how everyone there treated him with a special respect.

"I didn't figure it out at the time but I know now why everyone who met Billy respected him.

"It had nothing to do with his music or where he'd played or who he'd known.

"It was just Billy.

"Billy earned people's respect because of who he was; because of the loyalty he gave to his friends; because of the support and encouragement he gave to strangers; because of the enthusiasm with which he went about his life; because of his sincerity, his compassion, his heart and his courage.

"Billy first came to the Troubadour in 1999, about its third meeting, and played a selection of country music.

"In late 2002, Billy phoned and asked if he could bring his little dog Fifi to the hall and then he officially joined the Troubadour in February 2003.

"He has only missed a few days since then.

"As did many people in the Troubadour, my wife and I became good friends with Billy Rea.

"We played music with him, we went camping with him and we just enjoyed his company.

"I remember Billy dressed up as a clown entertaining the kids at St Albans.

"I remember how well he looked after his little blind poodle Fifi.

"I can't count how many times he told us to 'keep at it kids, you'll get there'.

"I remember Billy and Fifi busking outside Fisherman's Wharf where I know he added a little magic to a lot of people's Sunday lunch of fish and chips.

"I remember how touched Billy was when Leila made a sculpture of him and Fifi busking and entered it in a show for portraits of local identities.

"I remember a lot of good things about Billy and the strange thing is I don't remember anything bad."

"Thank you Billy for what you have given us."

Letter, 12 Jan 2007 Carl Desborough, Troubadour Central Coast Jimmy Rea