The Tweed Coast this week farewelled one of the region’s true gentlemen – Eddie Buchanan.
Former Tweed Shire Councillor Buchanan died in his sleep at his home in Kingscliff on June 18 at the age of 82 and was farewelled at Melleuca station and the Kingscliff Bowls Club on Tuesday.
His beloved bowls club was a fitting place to hold his farewell.
He held more positions at the Kingscliff Bowls Club than anyone else over the years, from calling raffles, to chairman of the board.
“He was a well respected member of our club,” Functions Coordinator at the bowls club, Helen Gardiner said.
He was chairman of the board from 1990 to 2004 and Men’s bowls club president for two terms from 82-84 and 88-90.
“You can only be president for two years, but it is a measure of the man, that he was voted in twice,” said Helen, who was one of the former maths teacher’s students back in his days at Murwillumbah High School.
“He was the most incredible man,” she said.
But, while the staff and bowlers at the bowls club have felt his loss – they aren’t the only ones.
Just up the road at the Cudgen Headland Surf Club, they were mourning the man his maths students knew as “Mr Buck”, too.
Eddie was, with his wife Joyce, instrumental in running the local Nippers surf lifesaving club for many years, serving 10 terms as president.
According to Cudgen Head-land stalwart Keith Kennedy, “Ed” had a lifetime association with surf life saving, starting with the Ballina Club in the late 1940s and continuing as the lifeguard at Brunswick for many Christmas school holiday periods.
“Ed was also a member of the Fingal Rovers and became involved at Cudgen through the Junior Movement.”
He was made a life member of the bowls club in 2005, his wife Joyce earning the honour in 2006. He was also life member of Cudgen Juniors, Far North Coast Juniors and Cudgen seniors.
Mr Buck was also a much loved teacher at Murwillumbah High School – retiring in the late 1980s. But, rather than settling into retirement, he went into public life, successfully standing for Tweed Shire Council.
He was a loving husband of Joyce, loved father of John, Shane, Robert and Scott and much loved brother of Diana and Beverley.
By Tania Phillips – Tweed Coast Weekly Editor, friend and former student.
