NORMAN ‘Norm’ Bainbridge was a “doer”. He didn’t just talk about doing things, he went and did them. And he was a fighter to the very end.
These were the sentiments of his Men’s Shed comrades, preparing for a memorial service at the Mechanics Institute hall in Ballan in memory of their great friend.
The popular volunteer died, aged 66, on March 29 after a battle with bone cancer.
Bert Jervis vividly remembers the day he met his mate seven years ago, when Mr Bainbridge arrived in Ballan with his wife Heather from Perth. “I met him on Anzac Day and we became close friends almost instantly,” Mr Jarvis says. “Norm and Heather were determined to really become a part of our community.”
Mr Bainbridge dived head-first into community work. He was a pioneer of Ballan’s Men’s Shed, designed to be a safe place for men to find mateship and to help battle against male depression and social isolation.
“He also rejoined Legacy to support war widows,” Mr Jarvis says. “In the Ballan area we have around 23 World War II widows and Norm organised a lot for them.
“He was a very positive man; when he took anything on he did it properly, conscientiously. He was a real soldier.”
On Fridays, Mr Bainbridge volunteered to do meals on wheels, driving lengthy distances around the shire’s fringes to ensure residents had their weekly supply of frozen food, while his wife volunteered at the Lions’ op shop.
He also volunteered at Ballan District Health Services and the Mechanics Institute.
In his younger days, Mr Bainbridge served 20 years in the Australian Special Air Service. He spent time in Vietnam, Borneo and Malaysia. But his friends say he found a home in Moorabool. “He was very happy in Ballan,” Mr Jarvis says. “And he’d been all over the world. It’s a great blow to us all. He’ll be greatly missed.”
Mr Bainbridge was farewelled at a funeral at Crawfords Funeral Home in Bacchus Marsh on Thursday, before a memorial service at the Ballan Mechanics Institute.
He is survived by his wife Heather, two children and three grandchildren.
