DON Henry ‘Farf’ Brewster packed the adventures of 10 lifetimes into one.
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Across 80 years he was an award winning photographer, rambunctious storyteller, newsagent, entrepreneur and travel guide, but above all else, he was a family man.
“He was a very loving and generous man who could never say no to his three darling daughters,” said his youngest, Megan Brewster.
“He was a softy and he was my hero. He was the most supportive father and would always say to us ‘If you want something, go for it. Never give up, just give everything a go’, which we did. I’m going to miss his cuddles, his love, his guidance and his positivity, even through the hardest, darkest days.”
Mr Brewster passed away at Carey Bay Gardens on May 15.
His life will be celebrated at 1pm on May 29 at Lake Macquarie Memorial Park, Ryhope.
“He and mum [Gaye] lived 10 lifetimes in one, which has made his loss a little bit easier in a way,” Ms Brewster said. “Not many people get to do that, but they had a truly amazing life - they went away 150 times together overseas.”
Mr Brewster was raised at LT Creek at Fennell Bay fishing, building boats and racing hydraplanes.
His first job was as a junior clerk at Newcastle Newspapers in around 1954.
He applied for a vacant cadet photographer’s position on the Newcastle Sun and was mentored by Milton Merrilees, who he eventually succeeded as pictorial editor of the Newcastle Herald and Newcastle Sun.
“He would say he would have paid them to work there,” she said. “He was born to do it and loved the excitement of it.”
He met journalist wife Gaye when she was on assignment from Sydney.
“They were each engaged to different people but it was love at first sight,” Ms Brewster said. “They married three months later. He never loved anybody the way he loved mum – he adored her.”
The couple raised daughters Lisa, Kristen – who was a camera woman at NBN and later Channel Ten in Melbourne – and Megan at Coal Point, before moving to Toronto and Buttaba.
He took his girls on trips on his wooden boat Compass Rose, on holidays including tobogganing and skiing and relished watching them play sport.
“They were the biggest socialites and always having parties – I still remember them laughing till the early hours of the morning with friends and neighbours, they used to have a ball,” she said.
“He had cracker stories – you could bring up any subject in the world and he would have a story about it. Whether they were true or not who knew, but he was very convincing.”
Mr Brewster operated Coal Point Newsagency, was a franchisee of catering company Australian Spit Roast Professionals and assisted Gaye, by then a travel agent, taking group tours overseas.