Neville ‘Ross’ Smith leaves heartwarming legacy behind in Stanthorpe soccer community

For 26 years of his life, Neville ‘Ross’ Smith never hesitated to lend a helping hand, not only to the junior Stanthorpe soccer players he coached, but to anyone having a rough go at life. His wife recalls some of their fondest memories during their time on the Granite Belt.

Generations of the Smith family. From left to right: Marilyn Smith, granddaughter Sienna, grandsons Cody, Daniel and Mason with 'Poppa' Ross Smith.

Growing up in the outer suburbs of Brisbane, Neville ‘Ross’ Smith enjoyed a long and fruitful 74 years of life and remained a hardworking, stubborn, practical joker right until the end.

Ross sadly passed of cancer last month, just shy of a milestone 51 years of marriage with his loving wife Marilyn.

Following in the footsteps of both his mother and father, Ross enlisted in the Australian Army for a period, serving in infantry and as a corporal before meeting his sweetheart and starting a family.

Neville 'Ross' Smith followed in the footsteps of his brave parents, enlisting in the Australian Army.

For 26 years Ross, Marilyn, their two daughters Kerry and Donna, and son Dale called the Granite Belt home, moving to the area in 1981 operating a transport company at Amiens and working on various farms.

Coming from a sporting background of predominantly rugby union, Ross quickly became heavily involved in Stanthorpe junior football (soccer) despite never having played a game in his life.

Marilyn recalled her husband’s selfless and goodwilled nature was the driving force behind his sudden interest in the world of English football.

“He read all the books and the rules, so he could learn how to coach and did coaching courses,” she said.

“Then he went and did coaching for the southwest zone, it was mind boggling how those kids just loved him and they just seemed to attach themselves to him, always listening to what he said.”

Even the toughest of kids Ross could get through to, making the highlight of his coaching career when one of his junior players was later selected to play in the Queensland representative side.

Ross Smith proudly presents cheque to Stanthorpe Footballer Andrew Walters, during his time as Junior Soccer Association president.

Ross and Marilyn always held an open-door policy to the youth in the community who were doing it tough, as well as hosting seasonal backpackers who visited the area at harvesting time and needed a place to stay.

“He loved learning from the backpackers, he would ask them about the countries they came from and would learn from them,” she said.

Marilyn said Ross would never let any of the farm workers go without, and often had her and the kids bring down sandwiches for them to take back home so he could be sure they had something to eat.

“They often only had enough money to pay for their accommodation and barely any for food, while they waited for their first pay to come through,” she said.

“If they had nowhere to go, it would be nothing to have a few of them staying up at our place until they could afford their own accommodation.

“He learnt from them, and they learnt from him.”

Marilyn Smith (L) supporting her late husband Ross Smith (R).

Neville 'Ross' Smith had a passion for helping the youth of Stanthorpe reach their sporting and life potential.

Ross was never shy of pulling a swift practical joke or two, often at the expense of his wife and children with his final ‘got ya’ coming just after his passing.

“He had a CPAP machine and this morning I saw a green light on it, and I thought ‘I’m sure I unplugged that’ and I went over to unplug it and realised it wasn’t even plugged in,” she said.

“(I thought) he hasn’t left us yet.”

A man of many passions and talents, a ‘jack of all trades’, he was a loving and proud father, husband and grandfather.

Ross was known as the life of the party and wasn’t shy when it came having a rum or two, he enjoyed all types of sport and for a time raced at Echo Valley and in and around the various sprint clubs of the region.

Ross had many passions, with one of them being a love for motorsports and racing.

He was a ‘get the job done’ kind of man and was always determined to push through any roadblocks that came his way, including cutting the plaster off his broken arm because it kept ‘getting caught’ on the gear stick of his truck.

“I’m very proud of him, he’s done so much and he always kept a roof over our heads, our bellies full and clothes on our backs,” she said.

“You can’t ask for anything more than that.”