Former Maryknoll Fire Brigade captain Brad Waterhouse tragically died on 9 April aged 45.
Brad was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in early 2015 and spent that entire year battling the disease.
When he returned from hospital for the first time in February of that year, townsfolk gathered at the entranced of the town with the fire truck and a huge ‘Welcome Home’ sign.
Two months later, nearly 30 friends and fire brigade colleagues all had their heads shaved at a fundraising event at the local recreation reserve to help Brad with his battle.
Brad thought he had got through to ordeal when declared to be in remission in December 2015, but got news in 2016 that the cancer had returned.
And when doctors discovered brain tumours and stomach cancer in December of that year, Brad began preparing for the inevitable.
As well as making funeral arrangements, he drew up a ‘bucket list’ of things he wanted to achieve.
It primarily involved spending quality time with his many friends – and particularly his daughters Bethany and Hannah.
A few mates set up a crowd funding site to help him work through the list.
The “Tassie Crew”, a group of firefighters who he formed a bond with while fighting the Tasmanian fires in 2016, started the ball rolling in January by arranging a helicopter flight.
A few weeks later he, his parents and the girls spent a week in Noosa and they also indulged one day at Sugar Buns in Hampton Park.
Brad sadly succumbed to his illness before completing his list.
“He got a few things done,” his mother, Meryl Waterhouse said.
“Not as much as we would have liked, but he did get to spend a lot of time with his friends and his girls.”
