COME rain, hail or sunshine, you could count on George and May Bruce to be at any Wagga service commemorating Australia at war.
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And they were just as strong in their commitment to Australia remaining a constitutional monarchy.
But their decades of inseparable commitment to each other and their common passions have come to a close with the death of Mr Bruce at the age of 96.
A funeral service for Mr Bruce was held in the Wesley Uniting Church on Monday, which was also Mr and Mrs Bruce’s 69th wedding anniversary.
Hundreds of people attended the service, which included ex-service men and women laying poppies of remembrance on Mr Bruce’s casket.
Member for Wagga, Daryl Maguire, on Tuesday paid tribute to his friend.
“We have lost one of nature’s gentlemen,” Mr Maguire said.
“He was one of the most likeable people I have ever met, and I would say most people would agree with me.
“He was such a considerate man and conducted himself in such a respectable manner.”
Serving as a pharmacist in the medical corps during World War II, Mr Bruce came to Wagga with his family in the early 1970s and operated the Papps and Bruce pharmacy in Fitzmaurice Street.
Mr Bruce also worked in Coolamon for a number of years before retiring.
“He went to war and served his country, and afterwards he continued to serve his community,” Mr Maguire said.
Mr Bruce was awarded life membership of the Wagga RSL sub-branch in 2012.
He was also a Mason and a member of the Probus Club.
Together with May, he was once nominated for Wagga’s Citizen of the Year award.
He served as president of Riverina Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy, believing the current system of government served our country best for now.
RSL sub-branch president, Harry Edmonds, said Mr Bruce was a high achiever who did things quietly.
“He was a very well liked man in the community and within the RSL,” Mr Edmonds said.
Former state branch president of the Pharmaceutical Society, Peter Gissing, said Mr Bruce was a well-respected pharmacist in the area.
Mr Bruce is survived by his wife, May, and children Lynette, Robert, Patricia and Graham.