THE late Bill Yarrow was a country icon who shared a passion for music, poetry and song writing. His friendly and caring nature will be remembered by all that knew him.
Bill Yarrow was one of four siblings. He was born at Nurse Stubbs Hospital in Rosewood on October 14, 1941 to Katherine and George Yarrow.
Raised on the family farm in Lanefield, Bill attended Ashwell State School, a school of which he spoke fondly as he reminisced on his days as a young lad in the school yard.
Bill enjoyed all things outdoors, from helping on the farm to participating in many sports. He was often seen on the school field involved in athletics, ball games and running.
Cricket was one of his favourite sports and he played for the Rosewood Congregational Church, a group that provided him with a social network where he made many friends.
From a young age, Bill discovered he had a passion for music, through singing along with the radio and putting to pen as he noted all of his experiences growing up on a farm and in the country.
Farm life, turned from family tradition to his way of life and he spent his days raising his own cattle to sell, and lived on the farm.
Prize pumpkins did not go unnoticed and each year he watched his crops closely until they were ready to harvest so that he could enter them with other produce into local shows.
It was not just about the prize ribbon for Bill, the comradery and friendships that he made with his fellow farmers at the Show was what he most enjoyed … a chat and a cup of tea as stories were shared.
Known also to be seen driving his prize possession, an old Holden, he would make his way into Rosewood each week, to catch up with the locals, a friendly man with lots to say, “Have a Chat”, was a phrase that soon stuck to him.
Country music and poetry though was his life, a way that he expressed his feelings and life experiences, stories that he had written about his family, his friends and his farm.
His partner Valerie supported him, and together they would travel all over Queensland and even sometimes statewide to participate in music and poetry festivals.
Throughout his life, Bill achieved many things, though his biggest dream was always to record his own music, a dream that did not take long to become a reality.
This dream was soon followed by a letter that he received from the Australasian Songwriters Association acknowledging him for his work, while presenting him with life membership.
Bill enjoyed the simple things in life, and was always out looking for the next topic to write about, he loved his farm and appreciated all of the friendships that he made, his music and poetry leaves a mark in the memories of everyone who knew him.
