Agathering of 200 were present at the Millicent Lawn Cemetery on Thursday morning for the funeral of noted Mount Burr sporting and forest identity Peter Muhovics.


After a long period of ill health, Mr Muhovics died on June 30 at the age of 75.


In a reference to his 53 years of working in timber, a chainsaw, hard hat and industrial earmuffs were placed upon his coffin.


The funeral celebrant was Sarah Hamilton of Wattle Range Funerals.


Warm tributes lasting around 40 minutes in total were delivered by son Justin, daughter Mandy, grandson Nathan and brother Dennis.


After the committal, a wake was held at the Mount Burr United Football Club.


Born in Mount Gambier in 1950, Peter moved to Glencoe with his family when he was still an infant.


Educated at Glencoe West Primary School and Mount Gambier Technical High School (now Grant High School), his formal education concluded at the end of Year 9.


Peter briefly worked in a timber mill followed by more than 50 years in the forests, mainly as a tree faller.


He met his wife-to-be Viv Cabot at a dance at St Alphonsus Hall in Millicent and they marked 55 years of marriage in recent months.


The newlyweds lived in Glencoe for a short while and then purchased a house at Mount Burr for $5000 and this became their long-term home.


Justin said his father was loving and kind and possessed a beautiful soul.


“Dad had quiet strength and provided a steady presence,” he said.


Nathan described his grandfather’s achievements in the football and cricket clubs at Mount Burr and Glencoe.


Umpiring in the Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association was another sporting interest.


According to Dennis, one of his highlights of his youth were the joy rides provided by Peter for his four brothers.


“Dad bought an open-top Oxford Tourer vehicle when he was 15 and Peter drove it until it crashed,” he said.


For Mandy, one of her cherished memories was one of the “bucket list” adventures of the father’s.


It was watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks from a boat in Sydney Harbour.


When Peter turned 65, his employer commissioned a tribute for publication in local news outlets.


Here are some excerpts from the 2015 interview by freelance writer Laura Thomas.


“I just love it out here (in the forest) and I love my job. I’m just the old man of the forest,” he said.


The tribute went on to say “as a self-confessed chainsaw fanatic, Peter is one of few local people skilled enough to trim the large-diameter break trees too large to fit in the head of a machine harvester.


“Working quickly and expertly along such a row in a freshly felled block near Kongorong, it’s obvious his skill and workmanship is still strong.”


“You work hard and you can earn as much money as you want out here,” Peter said.


“The news reports doom and gloom, but there’s always plenty of work to be done and there will be for years and years to come.


“How long’s a piece of rope?


“I have enjoyed a lot of camaraderie over the years. I have worked with a lot of good blokes and always got along with the bosses. I’m very lucky.”