DESMOND Moore has been remembered and celebrated by those he held dearest in a recent service held at the High Wycombe Junior Football Club.

A long-standing presence in club life, Des was one of High Wycombe’s founding members and served on its executive committee from 1970 to 1976, and then again from 1980 to 1989. He later also became one of the club’s first life members.

Fellow life member Warrick Rankin said the service was well-attended and full of fond memories.

“I would say there were upwards of 250 people crammed into the clubrooms,” he said.

“Des was involved in so many things in the community, there were lots of people who came along who wanted to remember him and celebrate his life.

“He was an icon in the community, and kind of a living legend in the footy club. He was a very good friend and wise mentor to many and the club, which is now a great little junior footy club, is where it’s at today because he laid the foundations for it.”

Mr Rankin said he remembered Des as the voice of reason in committee discussions.

“He always had very sage advice. We always said that if the club was planning or deciding something and Des supported it, we knew it was a good decision,” he said.

Des’ wife Aileen Moore remembered committee meetings much the same way.

“His sense of humour got him everywhere and into everything, and he could always see the humour in things. Maybe not straight away, but he could always eventually see the funny side,” she said.

“But he was fastidious. We could bend the rules a little bit, but at the end of the day everything had to be done properly. He was a steady influence on the committee and the decisions always came back to him because of his attitude and his experience. What Des said wasn’t law but sometimes it came pretty close.”

Mrs Moore said her husband was always there to support their kids at sporting games, too.

“We had four boys, two of them played for High Wycombe. Des always wanted to be involved in all the kids’ sports, no matter what it was, and he would go along to cheer and barrack. And I don’t drive, so you can imagine how busy he was on the weekends,” she said.

Des was heavily involved in his community; a volunteer firefighter, hospital volunteer and school traffic warden around Kalamunda and High Wycombe, often happily giving away hours of effort to his community in a week.

He was part of the Midland volunteer fire brigade since he was a trade apprentice, and Mrs Moore said he was always ready to support those who needed help.

The community was out in force to pay their respects, including the many organisations Des was part of.

“We had three fire engines show up, and he took his last ride in a 1928 Buick, which was lovely. We want to thank everyone for coming along and everyone who helped out, particularly the Kalamunda Hospital,” Mrs Moore said.

A fitting sendoff for a beloved local legend.