Geoffrey Ian Portman

 Geoffrey Ian Portman

This morning I looked up at my – random - photo board to see the great Geoffery Ian Portman smiling at me.

What, I hear you say!

Well, I was actually looking at the memorial booklet from Geoff’s funeral with the date under the pic “ -  20^th April 2021”.

That makes it four long years ago this week.

What a person, what a rally driver, what a collector of 

lifelong friends was Geoff.

What a struggle it was in the end.

What a service - fitting the bloke - did those friends from three work elements of his life deliver that day.

And his families' tributes as well of course.

What an honour and a pleasure it was to be there for that service and the – long – afterparty at the Yarra Valley Racecourse grandstand with its stunning views of the Yarra Valley which was Geoff’s home for so many years - on and off - over his and Lisas life together.

Memories which of course we all have. 

Mine that flash up just now include.

A hot New Years BBQ at Lisa & Geoff’s “company” house at the “Potato Farm” on Myers Creek Road – near Monda Road – Toolangi, in around 1982 with a lot of their rally and work friends.

Then only say eight years ago in the “Rabbit Shed” at his last home near the top of Mt Slide Road, Kinglake, where I was helping Geoff sell off his prized collection of C210 Skylines and parts from his and Lisa’s days with their desert trip touring adventure company “Portman’s Australian Adventures”.

Looking at it now on the Rooftops Yarra Valley map, those two locations are only 10 + a bit kms apart as the crow flies – around 15 actual road ks.

This reflection & celebration of Geoff’s life was held at Yarra Glen Racecourse only some 10 + few more bit crow kms due South of his Rabbit Shed.

As an aside that same “Rabbit Shed” in Kinglake was the location of much of the action on the tribute rebuild of the Portman/Runnalls VH Commodore – a project of some of his “old” friends, led by the not so old Steve Kaitler.

That “Rabbit Shed” was also the location of one of Geoff’s greatest challenges – fighting off the raging beast – that was the Black Saturday bush fire. 

Geoff had planned and prepared his property to make it defendable, as only a person with so many years of forestry management could, then a sudden wind change took the raging beast straight over the top of his Rabbit Shed and he and Lisa’s home at night with Geoff home alone.

Alone because the fire seemed to be petering out, then a Melbourne summers afternoon southerly wind change changed that.

Due to the fires and roadblocks Lisa and some fire experienced forestry friends could not get there to help him.

Geoffery Ian Portman had ONEHELLOVARIDE !!