ROY James Weir spent his entire life in his beloved home town of Berriwillock. The small town with a dwindling population was part of Roy’s life for 75 years and while his son went on to capture the world’s attention by training the winning horse of the 2015 Melbourne Cup, Roy himself preferred to live the quiet life in “Berri”.
Roy was known as a man of few words who was quick with a smile, but according to the Berriwillock community, when he did speak, you listened.
When he was seven, Roy’s father was involved in an accident that saw him hospitalised in Swan Hill for 18 months and later transferred to Melbourne where his leg was amputated. This rendered him unable to work and the young family were forced to sell the farm and move into the Berriwillock township.
It was at this point that young Roy stepped up and took a lead role in the family and was soon called by the nickname Boss which stuck throughout his life.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s (April 27) Guardian.
