Vale Peter Cox, a legend of theatre

Peter Cox, writer and producer of the Australian comedy Backyard Ashes, has been remembered for his work in local theatre and as a teacher at Forbes High School in the 1980s and 1990s.

Cox was inspirational in the Forbes M and D, and formed the Vandenberg Players, bringing pub theatre to Forbes.

His plays, such as Rum, Riches and Rebels, brought history to life, says Rob Willis, who credits Cox as an inspiration to many.

Cox would have a vision and a way of rallying the people he needed to be part of it, and was an innovator in terms of production as well.

Humour was central to everything, Cox's inspiration for cheeky character names seemingly endless.

"Shoot me dead, Billy" was an original musical written for the Ben Hall Festival and packed out Forbes Town Hall night after night.

"People were bringing the benches over from Victoria Park," Mr Willis said.

Dimboola made the audience part of the show as they enjoyed a three-course meal (for the princely sum of $8 in 1986) as guests at a typical country wedding.

The Advocate reported more than 800 people attended the six performances.

"He really inspired a resurgence of local theatre, and interest in history and theatre," Mr Willis said.

"He was a mentor to many local thespians."

Together with Bruce Mumford, he had a particularly big influence on Forbes High School students of the era.

And even years after he left Forbes, his time spent with locals helped mould his characters and storyline for Backyard Ashes, The Champion Post reported in 2013.

Time spent with locals including Spock Wooldridge, Billy Dunn, Danny Acret and Bobby Jayet reportedly played a part in forming the film.

"One of the characters in the film is actually called Spock and even though he doesn't look like Spock Wooldridge he has the same sense of humour and the character is moulded on his personality," Peter said at the launch.