Many words could be used to describe the 24-year-old man from Curlewis, they said – friend, generous soul, larrikin, ingenious, creative, cheeky, dabbler, outdoorsy, sweet tooth, 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 zany ideas for costumes.

“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.

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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.

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 – “and he did”, 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".

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 close to his family and “a tower of strength”.

“He wore his heart on his sleeve. Nothing was ever a problem for him. He was a beautiful-hearted boy,” Cerena said. 

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.

Heath’s funeral will be held on Friday, July 27, at 11am at Curlewis Community Church. The funeral will be preceded by a cavalcade.