IF you, like many locals and visitors alike, have spent time at the beautiful, family oriented day park at Boambee Bay Reserve, you have reaped the benefits of Harry Weller.

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Born Henry Owen Weller, Harry passed away last month. He was 93 and would have been 94 this year.

Harry’s family and friends remember the valuable contribution he made to Sawtell and surrounds including building the reserve.

Friend and neighbour John Gray said Harry was a pillar of the community and we wouldn’t have Boambee Creek Reserve where it is today without him.

John said Harry built nearly everything in the reserve in his 30 years as a volunteer from the driveway, boom gate, sewer lines, toilet blocks, shelters, retaining walls and the boat ramp to name a few.

“He built all the shelters and the residence and the shop. He did all the concrete from the road down the hill. He put in the first electric barbecues and cleared across to the railway line,” said John.

Harry and his wife Joan both have shelters named after them at the reserve.

They had two children, Victor in 1952 and Jennifer in 1955.

After holidaying in Sawtell they moved to Bonville then Sawtell in 1968.

Sadly, their daughter Jennifer passed away in 2008.

In 1988, Harry was awarded Life Membership to the Boambee Creek Park Reserve for outstanding leadership and service.

In 1993, he was awarded Sawtellian of the year for outstanding citizenship.

He often said that moving from Sydney was the best thing they ever did, and only the other day said that he couldn’t have wished for a better life than the one that he and Joan had in Sawtell.

Sadly Joan also passed away late last year.

Harry’s son Victor has followed in his parent’s footsteps with a life of service to the community and is Unit Commander of The SES Hunter Region Capability Unit.