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My name is Paul Sherley, and I have the honour to speak briefly about Garry's time working for Australia Post and his involvement with the union.

Garry joined Australia Post in mid-1990 and worked there until his retirement in late 2021.
He initially worked at the International Mail Centre at Clyde. In the late 1990s, he travelled with senior managers to inspect new equipment purchases for Australia Post, travelling to the United States, Germany and Denmark.
I'm sure Garry would have provided some very inciteful and honest opinions along the way. He had a great talent for remembering the specifications of all the machines.

He later spoke fondly of those trips and the adventures he had.
In 2004, Garry returned to the technical workforce at Clyde and the newly opened Sydney Parcels Facility at Chullora.
I worked with Garry from then until his retirement, and we worked many shifts together over those nearly 20 years.

Garry worked a lot of overtime and rarely took sick leave. If he wasn't at work, it was usually because he had swapped a shift so he could play his Tuesday golf with the RSL Taxis Golf Club and his good friend and cart buddy Phil Eyears.
Garry had a very sharp memory and could recall the finest details about equipment and faults.

He was also a great storyteller and loved to talk.
Consequently, I did a lot of listening.
He entertained us with stories of working in the outback for Telecom, including along the Moomba gas pipeline, as well as stories of getting bogged, drinking and, usually, more drinking.

He also had a very quick wit.
One day Garry was sitting in his chair with his eyes closed, conserving his energy, when a passing manager accused him of sleeping.
Garry immediately replied:
"I was meditating."
The manager said "it looked like you were sleeping."
Garry responded as quick as a flash:
"Are you a doctor?"
The accusation was dropped but the story was retold many times.

After joining Australia Post, Garry soon got involved in the union.
He became the local union rep for the technicians and, for a time, was also the Union Sub-Branch President.
Being a union rep could be a thankless task. Garry had plenty of clashes with management and was never afraid to speak his mind.
He was passionate about fairness and justice. He didn't like seeing people being badly treated and was prepared to spend his own time pursuing problems on behalf of others.
There was also an element of protection when Garry was around. You knew that if something wasn't right, Garry would be prepared to stand up and say something.
And sometimes, his approach was very direct.

On one occasion, Garry couldn't attend a meeting with management, so I was asked to go in his place.
Before I went, Garry gave me some very specific instructions:
He said "NEVER use the word 'agree' unless it is directly preceded by the words 'I do not'."
That was Garry.

In November 2023, Garry was awarded Life Membership of the union, recognising the years he had spent representing and advocating for others.
He once told me the two songs he wanted played at his funeral, the first one being "You Don't Get Me, I'm Part of the Union"
Garry understood that the song was trying to make fun of unions, but Garry didn't take himself too seriously, and also for Garry there was a strong element of truth in it.
And in many ways, that reflected how he saw his role standing up for people and being prepared to take on whoever needed taking on.

Garry once commented to me that it was amazing how someone could be the worst person in the world while they were alive although in slightly more colourful language and then become the best person in the world once they got to their funeral.
Possibly for this reason the second song Garry said he wanted played at his funeral was a song by Dennis Leary about someone who intentionally annoyed people, with the chorus "I'm an a--hole."
But we know that wasn't the truth about Garry.
Because Garry genuinely cared about people.
I often sat alongside him while he was on the phone checking on Wendy, Kimberley, Kaylen and Ella.
It didn't matter if he had worked a double shift or was finishing night shift. He would still check on the grandchildren and often pick up McDonald's on the way home and drop it off for them.

Those small things said a lot about Garry.

His family was the focus of his life.
Garry will be greatly missed by his workmates and union colleagues for his stories, his humour, his sharp mind, his strong opinions and, of course, his ability to make sure you knew exactly what he thought.
But most of all, he will be remembered as someone who stood up for people, who cared about fairness, and who always had your back.
On behalf of Garry's work and union colleagues, our deepest sympathy goes to Wendy, Kimberley, Kaylen and Ella.
Thank you.