Forbes identity Ray Clothier has passed away in Cairns.
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Ray, who was aged 70, was to be laid to rest at a funeral service there on Thursday.
Ray is survived by his wife Jill, children Brett and Joanne, grandchildren Amanda and Ricky, and great grandchildren Xavier and Isabelle.
Ray, a well-known local, is this week being remembered by the Forbes community as a very popular character and larrikin.
He's particularly well remembered in our local rugby league fraternity.
He served as president of the Magpies Rugby League Club from 1980 through to the club's first grade premiership in 1987.
The contest was an enormously memorable one for Forbes and for the club - the Magpies scored a heart-stopping 23-20 win over the Narromine Jets to secure the Group 11 grand final in Dubbo for the first time in 10 years.
The Advocate of the day reported the grand final was one of the best matches seen in Group 11 in many years with the Magpies and the Jets both throwing all they had into the full 80 minutes.
The Forbes camp was jubilant - and a delighted Clothier was pictured on the back page of the Advocate in that special edition.
Forbes Magpies club stalwart Geoffry (Hector) Acheson said 'Mutt' Clother was always involved in anything that needed to be done within the club.
"He was a very big part of the Forbes Rugby League Football Club," he wrote in a tribute for the family.
"He always put his hand up to be a water boy, strapper and team manager.
"We have so many happy memories of Mutt, he was always the first to put his hand up for any job.
"Ray made many friends over the years of his involvement with the Forbes Magpies and community, to this day those friendships remain.
"Mutt always led by example in anything he did.
"Ray and Jill always involved their children in everything they did including the football community.
"To this day the Clothier family remains close friends with people in the Forbes community.
"I along with the football fraternity have very fond memories of Mutt and the Clothier family."
Thank you to Lester D'Ombrain for the photographs and the special grand final edition of the Forbes Advocate from his collection.
