Douglas Gepp Leane, Honorary Member of the Friends of the Heysen Trail, and long time maintenance Section Leader, passed away on 16th December, 2008 at the age of 82.
Doug was a Section Leader for over 20 years, first between Piccadilly and Norton Summit, and later in the Section from Cudlee Creek to Bethany.
Bushwalking was a major passion in Doug’s life, and he walked trails in many countries around the world, as well as in Australia. He was also a volunteer for a number of different causes, which led him to become involved in the maintenance of the Trail, from as early as 1987. He was a Section Leader for over 20 years, first between Piccadilly and Norton Summit, and later in the Section from Cudlee Creek to Bethany. Doug was our most regular volunteer, working with a small team each Thursday. I was lucky to be part of that team for about 10 years, and Doug often expressed the view that he enjoyed working as much as walking.
Doug Leane
A qualified carpenter and joiner, Doug was in charge of a number of building projects on the Trail, most notably the Rossiter Hut in the Pewsey Vale forest restored from a disused shepherd’s hut, and a number of suspension bridges in the Myponga area.
Most of Doug’s working life was with the South Australian Railways, and apart from service with the RAAF during WWII, lived his whole life in the same house in Thebarton. His other interests included music, the Historical Society of SA and Parklands Association, and sport, especially cricket as a long time member of SACA.
Other tributes to Doug are included in this issue of Trailwalker and on the Friends’s website, and an excellent profile on Doug by Jo Chesher was included in our Summer 2005 edition, which is also available on the website.
Doug will be remembered with affection by all those who knew and worked with him.