Local farmer, stockman, prospector and volunteer firefighter, Anthony ‘Tony’ Carey was farewelled by more than 250 people with a funeral mass at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Wangaratta, on Friday, 7 November.

He was taken for one last ride, with the coffin secured on top of the family’s fire truck and driven by two of his sons to be laid to rest in the Eldorado Cemetery, among generations of the Carey family.

Born on Christmas Eve, 1937, to Veronica and Daniel Carey, Anthony was the second of four children and part of the third generation of his family to grow up in Eldorado.

Unfortunately, his father was killed in WWII and buried in Lebanon, leaving their mother to raise Anthony and his sisters, Margaret, Ruth and Dorothy, on her own.

After working hard and being able to buy a house in Eldorado, she then remarried, to Robert Hill, and had four more children, Martin, Andrew, Ronnie and Marie.

Anthony always preferred the outdoor life and at just 14 years old, began working full-time as a stockman at Bontharambo Station.

He would ride his horse from Eldorado to Bontharambo every Sunday night and then return the following Saturday afternoon.

He worked on a station in Queensland and in 1959 went to the Northern Territory, where he helped lead one of the last great cattle drives along the Murranji Track, a feat recorded at the Camooweal Drovers Camp Information Centre.

Anthony returned home in style on the Ghan in the early 1960s and went back to Bontharambo, where he met Helen Randall, who was then working in the house.

They married in 1965 at St Patrick’s and settled at “The Bakery” in Eldorado where they went on to raise seven children, five boys and two girls.

In 1969, Anthony selected the block ‘Over the Creek’ in Eldorado and, with the help of all seven children and other friends, the family constructed a mud-brick house that is now occupied by Anthony’s grand-daughter and her young family.

Over his working life, Anthony wore many hats: stockman, drover, fencer, factory hand, nurse, truck driver, blaster, and grader operator for the Wangaratta Shire.

During the 1983 drought, he became a sheep farmer when he took on a mob of merino sheep and grazed them on the common at Eldorado.

Over the years, Anthony served on several committees for the school, hall, museum, Centennial Park, Beechworth-Eldorado Bush Users Group, tennis club, Landcare, cemetery trust, Senior Citizens, and he always helped at the Catholic Church.

His longest and most passionate commitment, though, was to the Eldorado Fire Brigade, where he served for 60 years and was awarded life membership.

After the 2003 fires, Anthony and three of his sons purchased their own fire truck to protect their properties and provide backup for the Eldorado brigade.

For their contribution to the Eldorado community, Anthony and Helen Carey were recognised as Citizens of the Year in 2015.

Prospecting had always been another interest for Anthony, which had helped pay the bills for the family when growing up.

In more recent years, Anthony has twice won gold panning championships that took him to competitions in New Zealand and also to Eldorado County, California, with the Australian teams.

Anthony also raced speedway cars, rode motorbikes, and went as the backup crew with Ron Grealey when the Carey boys went on desert trips on their bikes.

As well, he and Helen took many road trips to get away from the cold in winter and visit the family who had spread out across the country.

Always active, Anthony enjoyed indoor bowls, drinks with friends at the Eldorado Tavern, and took a keen interest in horse racing—particularly following Ben Brisbourne’s horses after the Brisbournes bought his block.

Anthony passed away at home on Thursday, 30 October, at home with his family around, Slim Dusty playing in the background, and Helen at his side, just as she has been for 60 years.

A devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Anthony leaves a legacy of hard work, generosity, and community spirit, which will be carried on by his family.

He is survived by his wife, Helen, his children, Danny, Michael, Julie, Andrew, John, James, and Toni, his 10 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.

May he rest in peace.