Reg Fitzgerald R I P

All,

We are sorry to advise of the passing of our old mate, Reg Fitzgerald. Our condolences go to the family.

Reg spent 1977 to 1982 employed in B16. He came to us as a Diesel Fitter. He went on to be a more than useful Maintenance Planner, Parts Controller, Cataloguer and Expediter. For a couple of years he was with JDA including, in the late 90`s as our Site Manager at the Tabubil mine. His departure from Tabubil was somewhat hasty. There was an altercation with a village-owned PMV. It was an argument that he was not going to win so we quickly returned him to the safety of Melbourne. Reg worked for JDA on several occasions including elsewhere in PNG and in Indonesia.

If we were called upon to describe Reg`s attributes in just a couple of words we would use “colourful” and/or “jovial”. No conversation with Reg would conclude without a short summary of his latest escapades and of course his latest joke .  I first came across Reg when he was house sitting a mutual friend`s house in Arawa. You will remember the highly respected Dog and also there is the Grub. Well Reg carried the handle of “the Faggott.” I was often reminded that I must not go into print without the “the” preceding the names. Reg often visited with another good friend in Mal Pang who was the proprietor of what he described as a family resort, in the Phillipines.

We sure had some good times, Reg.

Thank you to all those who returned Peter`s call including Wingnut, Bazza and Mike Baxter; For some of those notes, see below; 

We will miss the little bloke.

Davo and Peter B.

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From: Terry Gunning <terrygunning@bigpond.com>
Sent: 21 April 2018 10:47
To: Peter Bennett
Subject: RE: Late Reg

 Hello Wantoks.

I don't reckon I can add too much of what we already know about the surface side of Reg.

He had a very quick wit.

Could tangle words with the best.

He'd let you know where you stood with words that clearly expressed so.

Very much a fun lover, and easy to get along with.

Would be in any and every prank going, just for humour side. He'd help make up pranks just for the humour.

He knew his job well.

Loved a cool drink in the early days.

Dedicated HHH.

Regards

Terry

Then there were also responses from Mike Baxter, Barry O`Toole and Peter Wanless

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From: Bazza <Toolesrus@optusnet.com.au>
Sent: 17 April 2018 03:56:28
To: John Davidson;
Subject: FW: sad news

             Ni Hao,  Davo

                      How the bloody el ar ya ?

       Please see the below update on Reg / Fagott that I have received from WingNUT.

oN  oN,  bazza

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From: peterwanless@bigpond.com [mailto:peterwanless@bigpond.com]
Sent: Monday, 16 April 2018 8:12 PM
To: Bazza
Subject: Re: sad news

Baz,

Sad news, just received a call from Faggots brother in law , Reg died earlier this evening, will keep in touch.

Regards,

Wingnut

These are some of my recollections of life with reg. I will leave the discretion part to you as I am not sure if there was an Aussie Reg and an expat Reg.

·         I first met Reg when he arrived in Tabubil in the early 80’s coming from Bougainville mine where he worked. We met through the HASH club at Tabubil, (the hash is a worldwide organization that was started in Malaysia in 1938 by some RAF personnel. It is commonly referred to as runners with a drinking problem or drinkers with a running problem). It was one of three clubs in Tabubil the others being the Golf Club and the Gazebo. We were well organized for families and the single people.

·         Reg was a member of the hash band called Rule 6 which I will not go into as these days is “very political incorrect”. He said that he was the second-best drummer in the world the best being Ringo.

·         The hash had a great social agenda with very big party weekends concluding with a Monday night run.

·         Reg would call everyone first thing Monday morning to collect info on who had stuffed up over the weekend so that he could call them out and they could repent after the Monday night run.

·         He also had some great party tricks being the “dance of the flamers” which he would perform after a few drinks, it consisted of him making a tail of toilet paper coming out naked with the tail alight occasionally he would get it wrong with disastrous results (the smell of burning hair), the second was the Milo swim, he would go into the kitchen fill his undies with Milo then into the pool and slowly swim past couples and let the Milo out. The pool quickly emptied.

·         He was a very good Squash player and always let you know who was winning on the court and for weeks afterwards.

·         When he moved to the Philippines he played bowls and golf, I would go up and stay with him and it was always a competition on who could come up with the best one liners and personal abuse was a game. We had many great times.

·         And over the last few years the daily morning calls will be missed and both Terry Gunning (red dog) and self will miss his parting line “well go and get  . . . . . .” and “go swanies”

Regards Baxter.