Ron James 2013

Ron joined the Great Dividing Trail Association in 2002 and from then on he rarely missed a walk or a working bee or a members’ dinner. He loved the bush and quickly became well-known and highly respected for his interesting walks and his ability to navigate, even after acquiring a GPS that sometimes did or didn’t seem to know where we were or where we’d been.

He was a knowledgeable walks leader and committee member and he became our Newsletter Editor, learning and mastering the new technology on the job. We meet in the fourth week of the month in the little hall on the other side of that wall.

Ron lived his life to the full. He used to say that he never went to bed on the same day that he got up. There was just too much to do. He gave enormous time and energy to his passions: the GDTA, the Friday walking group and U3A. And the Cats.

He bought an old bicycle when he turned 60 and for several years he completed the 50km circuit in the Ballarat Autumn Day Ride. He loved dancing and music and he refused to let John listen to Kylie Minogue. He took Sandy and Judy to the Mollongghip Hall dances and he was teased for taking his ‘harem’ with him. His bachelor place had an ‘informal’ look about it — but he did some ‘tidying up’ each time he hosted the evenings that became known as the “Blampied Stampedes”