The Greg Whitehead Fishing Challenge now heads into its 3rd year. Although a long way from commencing, entries are now open with a special sign up day set down for Sunday at the Harden Country Club, May 28, 11:30am to 1:30pm. The weekend is now firmly set as a must do event for keen anglers and is heavily supported by the local Harden community and the surrounding towns. The event is organised to raise money for Brain Cancer research. Greg Whitehead was a very well respected and loveable larrikin and very keen fisherman. Greg’s memory continues to live on in the fishing challenge bearing his name. With the permission of his family, we have posted his 2014 Local Legend story on our webpage to celebrate his life.

“Never do tomorrow what you can do today.” That was the mantra of a man who lived as he preached, enjoying every minute of every day of his all too short life. Gregory John Whitehead was born 23rd December, 1963 at Young – a half an hour labour and he was here – right from the get go he was trying to squeeze every minute out of the day.

Greg was a son for Ken and Margaret, and a little brother for sister Leah.
Ken worked on a number of farms in the district, Greenslopes which is now part of Garangula, a farm near Galong, and at Cunningham Plains. So Greg grew up on the land, and he really enjoyed working with Ken out in the paddock, helping with shearing, sheep work or with the wheat.

Greg getting ready for a day at school.

It is safe to say that Greg was what you would call a mischievous child. He liked to stretch boundaries. He was always in trouble. In fact if there was any inkling of trouble about, Greg would be smack bang in the middle of it. As those who knew and worked with him can attest to, this was something that he did not grow out of. More on that later…

One prominent feature of Greg’s formative years were his trips to Jugiong fishing with his uncle Geoff. His trips to the river sparked an interest in fishing in young Greg that would become an obsession, culminating in trips to the far-flung reaches of the country with his boat, his mates and his family.

Greg’s childhood on the farm working alongside his father, and his fishing trips with his uncle imbued Greg with an intense love of the outdoors, a practical mind-set and a strong work ethic.

Greg playing for the Harden Hawks.

Greg went to school at Murrumburrah Public School, and then Murrumburrah High School. It would come as no surprise that Agriculture, Woodwork, Metalwork and Sport were his favourite subjects. Greg left school at the end of Year 10 and worked for a short while at Clarkie’s Bakery and Watkins Hardware, before securing an apprenticeship in Carpentry at Harden Shire Council in March 1981.

Around this time Greg started to turn up at the Chesworth household. He would hang out with the girls and absolutely terrorise a young boy. That poor boy would become his brother-in-law, business partner, and more significantly, one of his best mates.

Greg was also a keen and very able sportsman, playing soccer, squash, golf and first grade for the Hawks. He seemed to be able to pick up just about any sport and be good at it. He was particularly good at basketball. He could pretty much out jump anyone else in the competition. He was fast, lean and had plenty of skill.

In 1988, whilst on a road trip to North Queensland, Greg struck up a strong friendship with Wendy Chesworth. That friendship eventually evolved into something significantly deeper, with the relationship between Wendy and Greg forming the foundations of the next 25 years. For Greg, Wendy was his “constant companion”.

Greg and Wendy.

As mentioned earlier, Greg never lost his mischievous nature. The following is an anecdote from Graham Molloy:
“Bradley West was showing a new Engineer, Roland Heatley, around the Wombat Bypass construction site. The discussion apparently being on safety in the workplace. All of a sudden, Greg’s ute comes from nowhere, and with a show of hands, Todd Spackman was skiing on a sign tied behind Greg’s ute. The discussion was followed by Todd and Greg’s defence. They were to say that ‘we took the safety concern into account, and bent the front sign up so it wouldn’t dig in.’’”

May 1997 saw the arrival of Sam and in June 2000, Kiera. Sam and Kiera were a huge part of Greg’s life. From family holidays, to school work, to fishing and camping, to simple sporting events, Greg was always a champion for his kids. He was incredibly proud of Sam & Kiera, and he was always talking about them to whomever would listen.

In 2004, Greg left the Shire after 25 years. During his time there he amassed a great skill base from carpentry to concreting, from plant operation to bridge building. He also made some lifelong friends.

Greg formed a business with one of his best mates, who was also his brother-in-law, Scott. Greg and Scott worked extremely well together. Both were excellent tradesmen, both were good with people, both had the same high work ethic. They took a lot of pride in their work and anyone who has seen their work knows they are very, very good at what they do.

Scott once said, “We worked so well together that we were able to see and understand what the other was doing. If we needed a particular tool or something done we would just do it without having to say a word to each other. Sometimes when crossing paths on the worksite we would just hand the other a tool and the job would flow on.”

Greg was a bit of perfectionist when it came to his work. He was not happy unless it was done properly. He was never one to cut corners. He was never one to leave things until tomorrow. “Never do tomorrow what you can do today” was what he would say.

The Harden Tyre Service under construction, expertly built by Greg and Scott.

Greg absolutely loved his food. He often liked simple food, a good sausage sizzle or BBQ, fresh prawns with homemade Thousand Island dressing, coke from a glass bottle, or one of his favourites, a Sausage McMuffin with Big Mac sauce. He enjoyed cooking. He did a lot of it and he was a pretty good cook. He loved his camp oven cooking.

Not only did Greg love eating good food, he also loved producing food. He always had a big veggie garden and chook run. Over the years he has had sheep, pigs and cows, and regularly killed his own meat (including of course, rabbits). He was a real nose to hoof bloke who ate everything – offal, brains, tongue, feet. You name it.

He was always generous with his produce, handing it out to many, especially his mum and dad. He would always deliver them fresh veggies and eggs, chooks, meat and of course fish – he would always bring them back some fish from his latest fishing trip.

Anyone driving along Scott Street near the Jugiong Road will come across a street not marked on any Shire map-Whitehead Street. Here, on a very sizeable block of land, Greg built a home away from home, a retreat. A place where Greg could work, relax, grow veggies, cook pizza, store all his gear and even sleep sometimes. A place which started as a blank canvas, and was gradually transformed into a masterpiece. A place where he spent a lot of time by himself, with his family, with his mates. A place where Greg, was Greg.

Greg has been described by his friends as a man of intelligence and great humour. As James Jamieson stated, “When you mix intelligence and humour you get Greg.” He had the ability to break down highly complex situations into “clearer and more manageable pieces”.

Greg’s humour and intelligence faced the ultimate test in September, 2013, when Greg was diagnosed with Brain Cancer. Despite the proceeding treatments rendering him unable to continue working with his good mate, Scott Chesworth, Greg continued to see the positives in his situation. He indulged even further into his love for cooking, becoming “a combination of the bush tucker man and Jamie Oliver.”

Greg was also able to walk with his kids to school, and be there when they got home. This he saw as very precious time that his illness had allowed him.

Greg with Sam and Kiera.

Greg never lost his humour and his pot-stirring nature during his treatment, as Nicki Bolger found out: “Before being taken to Canberra, and to make the trip easier in the ambulance, I was asked by the hospital staff to perform a nursing procedure of a delicate nature on Greg. He wasn’t well at the time and I thought he would have little memory of it. NOT SO. On arriving at The Canberra Hospital…he dramatically improved and was resuscitated with his favourite burger… Once eaten, he proudly declared that I had, with this procedure, enhanced his manhood.”

Subsequently, despite being a Breast Cancer nurse, Nicki Bolger’s services were highly requested by male patients at the Harden Hospital. Greg had, pardon the pun, no small part to play in that situation. Greg passed away on the 3rd of November, 2014. His funeral was one of the biggest events in Harden-Murrumburrah’s history. The many accounts of that day and the tributes to Greg continue to astound those that hear them.

Our condolences go out to Wendy, Sam & Kiera, and all of Greg’s family, friends, and workmates who stood by Greg’s side during his battle with cancer. The strength and devotion that you all displayed is to be admired.
Greg has been described by some as a ‘bloke’s bloke’, and even ‘the greatest bloke’. Whatever superlatives there are to describe the man, Greg has certainly left an indelible impression on those that knew him and the community around him.

Greg Whitehead, the way that you lived your life is an example for all of us. In your nearly 51 years, you squeezed every minute out of every day, and enjoyed everything that life had to offer. No matter what life threw at you, you always saw the positive side of it. As you said yourself, “Never do tomorrow what you can do today”.

Greg Whitehead, you were, and for ever will be, a Local Legend.