Peacefully passed away in Dimboola on March 10, 2017.
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William John (Bill) McCann was born on September 23, 1934, to Peter and Elizabeth McCann and was their fourth child and only son.
He was a brother to Carmel (deceased), Patricia Scott (deceased), and Phyllis Sleep.
Bill worked at the Dimboola Post Office for 14 years and was known as the ‘flying postman’, having won various running carnivals, Gifts and most notably the Stawell Easter Gift in 1960, aged 25, from six-and-three-quarter yards in 11.08 seconds.
While working at the post office he met telephonist, Lois Coyne. Love blossomed and in October 1964, they married.
They were proud parents to three children, Arlene, Colleen and Grant, and later welcomed James Phelan into the family.
Bill and Lois were loving grandparents to four – Laura, Joshua and Jessica, and James. To Bill, family was everything and was bereaved in June 2004 when Lois passed away.
Bill left the post office to work as a fireman on steam trains and later drive diesel engines. Bill worked hard to support his family and retired from the railways after clocking up 30 years service.
Bill was a life member of the Dimboola Fire Brigade with more than sixty years of service. In his early years he was involved in the brigade’s successful running team. He was also an instructor at Fiskville and Longerenong.
He was proud to have the Dimboola Primary School Sport’s House of ‘McCann’ named after him.
He tried to attend their sport days every year and encouraged young people to do their best.
Bill thoroughly enjoyed being the ‘starter’ for primary and high school sports over the decades.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Dimboola Memorial High School and Stawell Athletics Club, and regularly attended the Stawell Gift and enjoyed picking the winner from the heats.
In 2006 Bill was honoured to carry the torch as part of the Wimmera section of the Commonwealth Games Torch Relay, and equally honoured when awarded the Volunteering Western Victoria Recognition Award in 2013 for his dedication to the Dimboola Fire Brigade.
Bill helped anyone who needed it in a quiet way, not looking for any reward or recognition, and his family and friends knew that they could rely on him in times of need.
He enjoyed socialising, having a yarn, reminiscing by-gone eras, playing pool, participating in the pub’s footy tipping competition, seeing Collingwood play, and meeting new people.
Bill had a great memory for faces and names and no matter where he was, he would run into someone he knew.
Bill is lovingly remembered as a caring, honest and generous man with a keen sense of fun.
Treasured memories are held tightly by his family.