PHILLIP 'Uncle Fatz' Harrison will be remembered for his devotion to the Wimmera's Indigenous community.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Phillip died on July 16 at the age of 52 in Bendigo.
He is remembered by his four children Kaitlyn, Jasmine, Maddison and Abraham, his siblings Brenda, Josephine and Freddy, and his many nieces and nephews.
He also had another bother Stephen who is deceased.
Phillip was born in Dimboola on August 16, 1966.
He went to Dimboola Primary School and started work after leaving school.
He worked at Barengi Gadjin Land Council for a while and drove trucks.
Phillip lived in both Horsham and Dimboola throughout his life, but spent the last two years in Bendigo to be closer to family.
Daughter Jasmine said her father was a proud Wotjobaluk man.
"He was everybody's uncle. He'd always stop and have a good chat with people and check up on how they were," she said.
"Dad gave a lot of emotional and mental support to people and was always a shoulder to cry on.
"Dad is really going to be missed by everyone in our community.
"He was one of those happy people who you could always count on being happy."
Jasmine said her dad was passionate about cricket and was a good bowler.
She said he had a great sense of humour and wore his nickname of "Uncle Fatz" with pride.
"He had the biggest heart, was so funny and cheeky. He used to be about 140 kilograms, and he lost a whole of weight. His nickname Uncle Fatz stayed though," she said.
The Wimmera's Indigenous community has lost four members in recent months.
Aunty Heather Marks died on July 5 at the age of 63. Jasmine said their deaths had greatly impacted the community.
"Dad was in Horsham for Aunty's funeral and then he passed away a week later," she said.
"It's really taken it all out of us. We get strong and get over the death of someone, then another comes. It's draining."
Phillip's funeral will be at the Dimboola Uniting Church on July 26 from 2pm. People are asked to wear something navy blue.
Swifts and Taylors Lake will play their fourth annual Indigenous round match in Stawell on Saturday. Both club's will wear guernseys designed by Wimmera artist Tanisha Lovett.
Lakers player Andrew Harrison said the loss of his family members would give him more motivation for the game.
"I'll play my guts out for my uncle and aunty," he said.
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox twice weekly from the Wimmera Mail-Times. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Wimmera, sign up below.
