Kevin Walters Snr remembered

FRIENDS and family were joined by a host of rugby league greats to celebrate the life of Kevin Walters Senior at a moving funeral yesterday.

Sandra Walters is flanked by her sons at yesterday’s funeral for Kevin Walters Senior. . Picture: Rob Williams, The Queensland Times

FRIENDS and family were joined by a host of rugby league greats to celebrate the life of Kevin Walters Senior at a moving funeral yesterday.

Mr Walters – affectionately known as KG – died in Caloundra last week.

He and his wife Sandra had retired to the Sunshine Coast four years ago.

Mr Walters had been part of the sporting landscape of Ipswich for decades as the proud father of Kevin, Kerrod, Steve, Andrew and Brett.

While the exploits of his sons as club, state and country greats are well known, the hundreds who attended the ceremony were reminded of their always supportive father.

They included coach Broncos CEO Bruno Cullen, St George coach Wayne Bennett, Broncos captain Darren Lockyer, and former Origin and Broncos league stars Allan Langer, Gorden Tallis and Glenn Lazarus.

Held at the Centenary Memorial Gardens chapel in Sumner, the Walters brothers spoke of their father as a hard worker, proud family man and great dad.

With his flower-adorned coffin at the front of the chapel, the brothers reminisced about the life of their father.

They talked about a larrikin who met Sandra at a Rockhampton dance in 1961, before moving to Ipswich when twins Kerrod and Kevin were two.

There were tales of life in their East Ipswich house, where the brothers grew up under their father, a builder-carpenter, and their mother, a nurse.

Mr Walters was remembered as a generous and caring man, who outside of work and football loved his camping trips to Burrum Heads and Tallebudgera.

All spoke of the support their dad gave them as footballers – Kerrod,

Kevin, Steve, who each wore the green and gold while playing for the Kangaroos, and Brett and Andrew, who had stints at the Broncos.

Following the service, which included a slide show of family photos, Mr Walters’s coffin was driven through a guard of honour framed by two cranes.

Originally published as Kevin Walters Snr remembered