Friends mourn Ian Hoyland, Avoca man killed in Talbot crash

Ian Hoyland has been remembered as someone who would “never say no” to lending the community a hand.

Friends of supermarket worker and Carisbrook Lions Club member Ian Hoyland are mourning the loss of an “adored” man whose death has “left a big hole everywhere he’s touched”.

Mr Hoyland, 65 and from Avoca, died in a crash at Talbot on the morning of August 11 during a delivery for IGA Maryborough.

IGA manager and Lions Club president Jefferson Hoober said he met Mr Hoyland about six years ago and they quickly became close friends.

“Ian was a guy that never said no to doing anything Lions, to help with the community,” he said.

“We had a Lions train; we took that to kids’ birthday parties and functions. Ian took over that when he joined the Lions Club and took that everywhere to put smiles on people’s faces.

“There was never anything that Ian would say no to doing. He just loved doing things for the community.”

Mr Hoober and Mr Hoyland began working together at IGA Maryborough from December last year.

Mr Hoyland was there “from day one, every day”, Mr Hoober said, to help keep the shop running.

“Ian came on board with me and helped me renovate shelves, get rid of rubbish, get the stock here,” he said.

“He was adored by the crew. He would do anything that needed to be done, screwdriver in his hand, out doing deliveries, whatever he had to do.

“You’d say something, he’d get it done before you could turn around and look at it.”

Mr Hoober’s stepson Luke was the passenger in the car with Mr Hoyland at the time of the crash.

He suffered a fractured left wrist, broken right wrist, and fractured shoulder, and was discharged from hospital on Friday.

“Luke’s opened up already and is doing extremely well with the rest of the staff to help with them with the recovery,” Mr Hoober said.

“It’s affected the whole community – Maryborough’s a very tight community.”

“He’s [Mr Hoyland] just left a big hole everywhere he’s touched.

Mr Hoober said he had been in touch with Mr Hoyland’s family, who live near Bendigo, to help organise a funeral.