Tributes are flowing for Simon Jones, renowned Shepparton busker, following his death
The Shepparton community has rallied together to honour an iconic busker who “everyone pretty much knew” and was “just always there”.
Goulburn Valley
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Tributes are flowing for a much-loved Shepparton busker who “had no idea how much he touched” the hearts and minds of the community.
An icon of the Shepparton community, Simon Jones, 60, busked with his guitar outside the Shepparton Kmart on Vaughan St daily.
A tribute service will be held outside Shepparton Kmart on Saturday, March 30 at 10am in Simon’s honour.
The tribute service will go till 2pm, and “encourages all buskers of any ability to request a 15 minute timeslot”.
The service was organised by a friend of Simon’s, Max Morrison, who told The Herald Sun that there had been such an amazing community response to Simon’s tragic passing.
“Everyone pretty much knew Simon as the guy that was out the front of Kmart”, Mr Morrison said.
Mr Morrison spoke about how much Simon “touched” others with his music.
He said Simon’s favourite song was Running Bear by Johnny Preston and he loved the Guns N’ Roses, often wearing one of their T-shirts.
Mr Morrison said that even during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Simon would stand outside his flat and play his music, bringing the Shepparton community joy during a difficult time.
The tribute aims to bring the Shepparton community together and “celebrate this person who touched more than he ever could have imagined”.
The tribute will also be live streamed on Facebook.
Mr Morrison also said the community’s response had been “amazing” in the wake of Simon’s death.
“Saturday’s going to be great”, Mr Morrison said.
Nationals MP Kim O’Keeffe spoke glowingly about Simon’s contribution to the community.
“He was just always there … He was a constant, he was just always there”, Ms O’Keeffe said.
Ms O’Keeffe mentioned how music brought people together.
“Music brings people together … You don’t have to be to talking to one another”.
Ms O’Keeffe knew Simon fairly well through her work at People Supporting People, a local charity that runs barbecues each Saturday right near where Simon busked.
“He was a sweetheart,’’ she said.
“I’ll miss those little moments … It’s going to be very different.
“He was just such a constant.”
Triple M’s ‘Nick and Josh for Breakfast’ program also paid tribute to Simon, with co-host Josh saying that Simon made his daughter Esther “smile” whenever they walked past.
Hundreds of Facebook comments have also been made, with many Shepparton locals paying their respects to the man who “always had cool T-shirts on”.
A GoFundMe has also been organised to help pay for Simon’s funeral costs.
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