Byron Shire grieving after Uncle Tom’s Pies legend Dave ‘Motty’ Mott of Mullumbimby dies suddenly in his sleep
For almost four decades, he rode his bike to work to start his shift – a real fixture at Uncle Tom’s Pies. Now, the community is mourning the loss of the friendly Mullum baker.
Byron Shire
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Much-loved Mullumbimby man Dave Mott rode his bike to work at Uncle Tom’s Pies for almost 40 years – he was a fixture at the Byron Shire shop.
Sadly, that came to a sudden end when the well-known 53-year-old father-of-three tragically died in his sleep last week.
Mr Mott, or “Motty”, was born in Mullumbimby, attended the town’s schools and ended up pumping fuel at the shop as a teen, back when fuel was still available on the premises about 37 years ago.
The co-owner of Uncle Tom’s, which started in 1933, Carol Brooker said Mr Mott’s passing was “pretty full-on” and “just bizarre really”.
“He has been with us for a long time,” she said.
“I have these waves of sadness and then it’s like ‘that’s not real, it can’t be real. I was just working with him the other day’.”
Ms Brooker recently spent time with Mr Mott in the bakehouse and said he was particular about making top quality pies.
“He was spot on with everything and I was amazed … he didn’t have to refer to anything, he just knew what to do,” she said.
“It was hard to keep up with him sometimes. He had a nice smile and he was a quiet achiever.
“He loved the beef curry pie the best.”
Ms Brooker said everybody in Mullumbimby knew Mr Mott.
She fondly recalled Mr Mott smashing out ACDC karaoke at a work Christmas party.
“He was up singing and loved to belt it out with the best of us,” she said.
Ms Brooker described Mr Mott as a “likeable fellow” and “a gentle giant”.
“There’s just us girls here now, so we are just pitching in and we are going to try to keep his legacy going,” she said.
Uncle Tom’s will be closed on the day of Mr Mott’s funeral in a few weeks.
Outside of work, Mr Mott loved an ale and a chat at the pub with mates.
Mullumbimby Moonshiners Rugby Club took to social media to pay tribute to Mr Mott.
“Last night (June 9) we had a minutes silence to pay our respects to one of our original Moonshiners, David Mott (Motty),” a Facebook post read.
“It was a very touching moment reflecting on the many wonderful memories shared with this great man.
“Thank you for your contributions to our club Motty. You will be dearly missed. RIP Original Moonshiner.”
The baker previously spoke to the Byron Shire News about making his much-loved pies.
He had some simple tips: “Always use top quality ingredients and don’t be stingy with those ingredients.”
“I always had great employers so I just loved the job and still do,” he said back in 2017.
A post-mortem exam is due in Newcastle to determine the cause of Mr Mott’s shock death.