William John Spackman, 72, remembered after crash north of Junee in Riverina
The family of a 72-year-old man who tragically died in hospital after a crash in the Riverina has remembered him as a jovial person who loved animals.
The Wagga News
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He was a country man through and through with a love for family and animals. And in July, he would have become a great grandfather for the first time.
Tragically, 72-year-old William John Spackman, known affectionately as Bill, died in Wagga Base Hospital after surviving a crash near Junee on Tuesday.
Shortly after 7.30am, emergency services were called to the Olympic Highway in Illabo, following reports of a ute crashing into a tree.
Mr Spackman was the driver and sole occupant of the ute when he was travelling to Wagga.
He initially presented to paramedics with minor injuries and was taken to hospital where his condition deteriorated.
He tragically died shortly after 5.30pm.
On Thursday, his wife of 51 years, Sue Spackman, said her late husband was someone with a “tireless work ethic with great strength”.
“He was lovely and cheeky with a very outgoing personality,” Mrs Spackman said.
“He adored his children and grandchildren and he was so proud of the whole family.”
Mr Spackman’s only daughter, Kellie O’Brien, said she would remember her father as someone who loved seeing them achieve goals.
“He’d spruik about those things to his friends,” Mrs O’Brien said.
“He was always jovial and very naughty. He used to make up dreadful songs and sing them all the time, which was a bit of a funny thing with the kids.
“They all loved pop’s crazy songs.”
Asked about her father’s favourite things in life, Mrs O’Brien said he adored his Jack Russell called Roadie and enjoyed gardening.
“He also did a lot of random acts of kindness that people never knew,” she said.
Mr Spackman was born in 1948 and had lived in the Harden area most of his life.
He went to Harden Murrumburrah Public School and was raised on his parents’ dairy farm with his three siblings Bob, Trish and Margaret.
He then ran a dairy farm with his four sons John, Scott, David and Paul.
Outside of farming, he played rugby league as a child and watched the NRL and racing most weekends.
He was a champion breeder of Friesian dairy cattle over many years at shows and he is known for his dedication and presentation of his stock.
He was also a successful horse trainer, with Mrs Spackman saying his most precious memory was that of his son Scott riding their horse Money Road in the 1993 Harden Picnic Cup.
“That’s probably the highlight of his life. It’s also because Scott starved himself to death, because he’s quite tall, to ride his racehorse for him,” she said.
Scott, who is based in Wagga, is now also a successful trainer, running Spackman Racing and is involved in races across the region.
Mrs Spackman described her late husband’s relationships with animals as “amazing”.
“He always tended to his much-loved farm animals and had an amazing affiliation with his cattle” she said.
“He had an uncanny ability to develop strong connections with them and was always more in tune with animals than humans.
“It was beautiful.”
During retirement, Mr Spackman found a new passion for animals - breeding ringneck parrots.
Ms Spackman said he “got into the genetics of it and made very rare breeds that were certified”.
On Tuesday, Mr Spackman was on his way to deliver a bird to a friend in Wagga and a medical appointment when his ute crashed into a tree.
Mrs Spackman said what exemplified his caring nature was that after the crash, he got out and told ambulance paramedics to notify the man he was delivering the bird to that he was running late.
“Unfortunately, in hospital, he had a brain haemorrhage due to the accident,” she said.
“He walked away from the crash, but it got him in the end.”
Mr Spackman is survived by his wife, five children and 15 grandchildren. He is sadly missed by them, extended family, friends and Roadie.
A private service to celebrate his life will be held in the Harden Lawn Cemetery.