Many words could be used to describe the 24-year-old man from Curlewis – friend, generous soul, larrikin, ingenuitive, creative, cheeky, dabbler, outdoorsy, sweet tooth, and jokester.

Born on March 31, 1994, Heath was the first of two boys, followed eight years later by his brother Ben.

Heath was larger-than-life and was known for his love of tinkering, “mutton chop” sideburns and his old saying, “She’ll be right”. 

He had a passion for mechanics and said motorbikes were “his wife”. He was forever starting a new project and coming up with zanny ideas for costumes including gluing coloured lights onto a suit.

“He was just so switched on when it came to anything with motors. He’d nut it right out and he was astounding people with how he could do it,” Cerena said.

“He was always tinkering with motorbikes.”

Heath’s parents confess that his hands-on skills did not come from them, and Ron said Heath often threatened him if he laid hands on a vehicle because it would mean more work for him in the end.

“He always said if he ever caught me with my head under the bonnet, he’d jam my head in it,” Ron said.

If someone told Heath something couldn’t be fixed, he set out to prove them wrong. 

One of many incidents involved a whipper snipper with a busted petrol tank, which Steve Weakley told him couldn’t be revived. Cerena said Heath got a milk bottle and used a lighter to weld a plastic patch over the the petrol container so he could fill it up and get the whipper snipper going.

“Steve was telling me that story,” Ron said.

“His father was out there and they said to Heath, ‘You’re wasting your time. It’s had it’... so Heath went away for a half an hour and Steve looked at his dad and said, ‘Are you hearing that noise?’ and next minute Heath came round the corner whipper snipping the grass and he had a smile from ear-to-ear and he says to Steve and his dad and says ‘See, I told you I could get it going’.”

With Heath, life was always an adventure. Cerena recalled a time when they were driving on a gravel road and Heath told her that he wanted a goanna. She adamantly refused, but in an ironic twist, when she slowed down to drive through a dip, “lo and behold, Heath spots this goanna”.

“He’s flying out of the car and I haven’t even pulled the car up,” Cerena said.

“He’s chased this goanna down – it’s a full-sized goanna – and he comes back with a bearded dragon instead… He didn’t have it in a box or anything – he just chucked it on the floor of the car.” 

Another memorable moment took place at a Mens Toolbox Dinner when John Anderson was Deputy Prime Minister.

“They had sausages and Heath got himself a feed and he sat down and Mr Anderson says, ‘Are there any sausages left?’ and Heath said, ‘No, no, there’s none left’ and Heath says ‘Do you want one?’ and he goes ‘No, no, it’s alright’,” Cerena said.

“With that, Heath picks his sausage up with his hands, throws it on his plate and goes to John Anderson, “Well, there you go – don’t tell me I don’t ever give you nothing’ and then the [emcee] gets up and says, ‘Our speaker for the night is John Anderson’ and the bloke stands up beside him. Heath had no idea who he did that to.”

Heath was a sucker for a bargain, especially when it came to marked-down chocolates.

“He would even walk in front of me at the shops to get all the specials [before me],” Cerena said.

Heath often bought vehicles in a bad state and worked to get them going again. His most recent vehicle was a Subaru Brumby station wagon, “a hunk of junk” he wanted to turn into a “monster truck" with a lift kit.

“I was panicking because this thing rattles. You wouldn’t go anywhere, but he took me to Tamworth, and I’m saying, ‘I don’t want to walk. I don't want to walk’ and he said, ‘You won’t’,” Ron said.

Ron and Cerena said he was always generous, giving away equipment he had bought cheap and fixed up.

“He’d give you the shirt off his back,” Cerena said.

Well-liked, Heath was “very family-orientated” and was “a tower of strength” in his family. 

“He wore his heart on his sleeve,” Cerena said. 

“Nothing was ever a problem for him. He was a beautiful-hearted boy.”

The young man had countless friends and struck up conversations easily.

“He’d only have to meet you once and he would leave his mark on you,” Ron said.

The family said they were “humbled” by the support the Curlewis community had offered since the accident on July 11. 

“Everyone has rallied around us. Everyone has been so supportive and wonderful,” Cerena said.

“I feel honoured that Heath has touched so many hearts in this town.”

The Glennisters said they were thankful to everyone who helped on the day of the accident, including the emergency services, particularly Gunnedah police, a truck driver and a nurse.

The family was also deeply touched by the minute’s silence Heath’s former work mates held last week at Gunnedah Leather Processors. Ron said the employees had asked to attend the funeral and offered to work the weekend to make up for it.

Heath’s funeral will be held on Friday, July 27 at 11am at Curlewis Community Church. The funeral will be preceded by a cavalcade of motorbikes, utes and other vehicles. Those who wish to participate are asked to gather at 10am at Lightfoot & Co Funerals on Wandobah Road, Gunnedah. The cavalcade will then proceed to Curlewis ahead of the funeral. The wake will held at the town hall.

The Glennisters are currently seeking financial assistance to help with funeral costs, with one “beautiful anonymous person” already donating $1000 to the funeral home.

Donations for funeral costs can be made to the following account: 

Account Name: In Honour of Heath Glennister

BSB: 637000

Account number: 722715160

The Glennisters said they don’t want Heath’s funeral to be a time for sorrow but laughter and celebration – an outpouring of memories of a man who brought joy and laughter to so many.