MEHAFFEY – Samuel James (Sam)

To a dear Irish man, who was liked very much. Sleep peacefully Sammy.
John & Clare
Port Albert

Rest easy Sammy. Loving remembered his cousin Laura, husband Stanley and family in Belfast, Northern Ireland x

Sammy, we have lost our best friend of many many years. The fun and laughed we had together will forever be there remembered in our hearts.
Licola Lions Wilderness Village has also lost a wonderful friend, the kids at the Camps loved you with ‘the funny way you talked’.
Rest well our friend. Love, Carol and Pete, Yarram..

Sammy you were a great friend,will never forget you.

I’m a Nigel, friend on Sammy’s
Along with my Wife Marion we got to know Sammy when we bought the Yarram Holiday Park over 5 years ago.
When we were Buying the Park, the then owner Bas, kept saying you’ll need to meet Sammy, you’ll like Sammy, he’s unbelievable…….
Just then a fellow wearing jeans, boots, flannel shirt and cap came trundling by on the mower. Sammy nodded his head in acknowledgment and started cutting the grass. Bas was right you know
Bas said, I can’t stop him, he just does it.
Sammy, you have been an integral part of our family and park life for 5 ½ years.
We worked together, chatted together. You told me about the days back in Ireland, the Families big shift out to Australia, playing Soccer in the Valley, told me about Moe’s famous and in famous characters. The mischief that the SEC Boys got up to when working from Home.
You became an extra “Poppy” for our kids and loved and adored by everyone in the park.
Sammy had a tremendous pride in the presentation of our home (His Home more so) and would be the first out after a storm to check the trees, making sure the drains weren’t backed up and generally making sure that everything was just right.
No Job too big or hard for Sammy.
We’ve dug holes and trenches for days it seemed. Sammy was the first and last on the shovel. A tireless work ethic, it would be late in the day and I’d say, I think we’ll wrap up soon mate……….”No”, Sammy would say, “we’ll keep on going and get it done”.
Marion and I would walk around the Park and look at what trees and bushes needed pruning and we’d casually say “what do you think of doing this Sammy?”………. Shortly after………Done.
We only needed to look at a high branch that needed a prune and he’d be out with the extension ladder, Ropes and Saw, then scurrying up the tree, pruned then on the trailer it went.
Quite a few times I called out to him, “Hey Sammy, you’re not having all the fun……my turn”
Whether it was a bush or a tree stump to remove, Sammy would be the first to say. I’ll get the ute and the chains and well drag her out.
The smile on Sammy’s face when we’d rip it out roots an all was priceless, you’d of thought he’d won the cup.
If anyone wants to buy a Ute with a wrecked clutch and a bent chassis, come and see me.
Every morning we’d be racing around the house getting ourselves and the kids ready for school when we would here the familiar squeak of the shed door, then either the golf cart or mower fire up and off he went.
I said many times, “you don’t need to do this mate!” he said, “I want too, it gives me something to do”.
Sammy just loved doing…..he enjoyed joining the Lions Club and all the community activities. He Loved going to Licola to the Lions Village to help with working bees or just washing dishes for the camp kids. You knew it made him happy knowing that those special kids were having a wonderful, life changing time.
We talked heaps and he said after all his travels with the SEC he was just happy to pop down to Port Albert for a look at the water or a couple of days away with Anne to Lakes Entrance. I do know he loved to go the QLD to see his kids and Grand kids, Swim in the pool, have a few beers and go and watch the mighty Cowboys in Townsville in the NRL. He always come back saying how much he enjoyed it and how they should do it more often, I whole heartedly agreed.
Even in the last 12 months when you became unwell, you wouldn’t let it beat you. Out and about, up a tree, swinging the axe, splitting wood…..”its just a sore shoulder”
Helping to the end.
Well mate, time to finally knock off, put your feet up and have a good rest.
R.I.P Sammy, We Love you