Joel Robert McKeon
20-12-1982 to 19-4-2023
Tragically as a result of accident.
Much loved son of Bob and Gay.
Loved brother and brother in law of Janelle and Stuart, Mark and Bronwyn,
Fond uncle of Jack and Patrick, and Georgie.
Missing you always, forgetting you never.
Funeral Notice
Service held Saturday May 6, 2023 - 2:00pmFuneral arrangements have been confirmed for the service of Joel Robert McKeon at 2 Boon Street, Hay South on Saturday 6th May commencing at 2.00pm.
A private cremation will follow.
We wish to encourage you to express your sympathies and condolences to the family via a tribute on this announcement which the family are able to read, reflect and treasure.
Tributes Leave your tribute
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Deepest condolences to Joel’s family, sadly missed great bloke I will remember him forever.
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Greatest sympathies to all of Joel’s family at this time. Joel was one of kind and will be truly missed.
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Dear Gay & Bob,
So sorry to hear of you loss.
Sending our sincere condolences to you and your family.
Wendy & john Winter -
R.I.P. Joel (SB) – You brought a fire to a world that can be sometimes be so cold – gonna miss you mate. Sincere condolences & sending love & light the McKeon family. Dave Rough.
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My deepest condolences to the McKeon family. Joel, always a little ray of sunshine to be in his presence, a true gem and one of a kind treasurer. He will be beyond missed. Much love,🤍Bianca
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Dear Gay and Bob and Family, My prayers and thoughts are with you all at this sad time. R.I.P Joel. God Bless. Xx 💔💔🙏🙏
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I remember that little cheeky lad who grew into such a kind and loving man. My thoughts, prayers and love go to Bob, Gay, Janelle, Mark and spouses at the sudden loss of a sweet soul. May he rest in peace.
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Our heartfelt condolences to you all.
Such a tragic loss for you all to comprehend.
RIP Joel -
A tragic loss to your family Will remember you all in my prayers
Doreen Greenham and family -
Sincere condolences Gay, Bob and family, our heartfelt love and blessings are with you all.
RIP Joel.
Love Bill, Mary-Anne Butcher & family. -
Such incredibly heartbreaking news. I’m so sorry for your loss and my thoughts are with you all.
Joel, thank you for always making me laugh, having an open heart and open home when I visited. You truly are one of the diamonds in this world and will be sorely missed. Shine bright. X -
My deepest sympathies and condolences to all Joel’s family and friends . An absolute top bloke , will be deeply missed . You too was a good egg . Rest in peace
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Sincere condolences Gay, Bob and family. Thinking of you at this tough time.
Graeme , Bernadette Stribbles and family
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My thoughts are with all Joel’s family and friends he was an awesome guys we had some amazing times together at Hamilton love ya mate xx
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Dear Gay and Bob, our heartfelt condolences to you and family at this sad time. Our thoughts are with you.
Nerida and Neville Reid -
Dear Bob, Gay and family
My deepest sympathy and condolences for the loss of your beautiful Joel taken far too soon. Wishing you all comfort, strength and love at this time of sorrow.
Joel, I am so lost for words and saddened that I have lost you my beautiful best friend. You will forever be in my heart and I will always hear you calling me Rissole followed by that cheeky giggle of yours. You are now a bright star shining down on us. Rest In Peace.
Love
Larisa
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I still remember the very first time Joel and I bonded. It was in the women’s underwear aisle in Country Target in Hamilton at the beginning of Year 10, way back in 1998. Joel was with his mother, Gay, and I was with my Grandmother, Vera. He had his signature spikey blonde hair style and was wearing his Hamilton College uniform with socks pulled up and his shirt hanging out. What could have been a very embarrassing and awkward teenage moment for us both, turned out to be the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship.
Joel had recently started boarding at Hamilton College and I had just returned from a year’s exchange in Japan. I suppose we were both feeling a bit out of place at that time and perhaps that is what drew us together. It wasn’t long before we made a strong connection and soon felt completely comfortable in each others company. We used to spend our recesses and lunch times eating packets of Burger Rings from the tuck shop, or sharing the cakes that Grandma had baked. We would skip around the school grounds holding hands, playing imaginary games and talking gibberish, not even caring if others thought we were being childish.
It still makes me giggle when I recall how Joel used to come and stay at our farm on the weekends. We would climb trees and go sliding on hessian sacks toed behind the old farm ute. One time my mother, Ros, got so sick of asking us to do our homework, that she resorted to locking Joel in the spare bedroom. It wasn’t long, however, before I saw him running through the garden outside my bedroom window, hiding behind a tree and waving crazily with that cheeky smile on his face after escaping out the bedroom window.
I’m sure the boarding students who lived with Joel have their own fond memories of all the mischievous things they used to get up to together back in the day….
We had many fun times during those Hamilton days, like dancing on the podiums at the only night club in town, The Attic, running amok at the famous Dunkeld Races and attending our own version of “schoolies” up in Halls Gap, where Joel earned the nickname “the horse whisperer” after befriending and mounting a random horse in a nearby paddock.
When we all moved to Melbourne after finishing school, Joel and I were like wide eyed country bumpkins, eager and excited to discover everything that the vibrant night life of Melbourne had to offer.
It was during this time that friendships from our Hamilton College days became stronger and new friendships were forged, as we embraced all that the mysterious world of adulthood had to offer. We were part of a big group of young, close-knit, crazy-fun people whom enjoyed each others company and always looked out for each other. There was certainly never a dull moment….
In 2006, along with some other close friends, Joel and I embarked on our first overseas trip together through South-East Asia. I have a particularly fond memory of us all floating down a beautiful river in Laos in tyre tubes surrounded by picturesque mountains, sampling various local produces that were sold along the way and swinging off tarzan ropes and flying foxes that would never pass any safety standards if they had been built in Australia. We were just a group of typical care-free, risk-taking Aussie pack packers, making the most of our independence and freedom.
In 2007, Joel and I moved over to Western Australia where we started another exciting chapter of our lives. We shared a house in Perth and made many more amazing friendships whilst continuing to embrace the never ending party of life. It was during this time that we made the most of the sun soaked beaches, trips to Margaret River, discovered bush doofs, drank far too much cheap cask wine, attended a memorable Jungle Party and the epic New Years Eve party at Chidley Point. We danced our bums off at the Daft Punk concert, at Summerdayze and numerous other music festivals and frequently attended fine establishments such as The Blue Room, Ambar, and Connections.
It was also during this time that we used to crank one of our favourite tunes, the Ghost Busters remix on our stereo all weekend until eventually our poor tired and frustrated neighbours would knock on our front door and beg us to turn it off.
Eventually I moved up to the Kimberley to start my career as a GP and Joel moved back to the east coast where he was able to pursue his passion for working with horses. Over the years our contact with each other gradually lessened but he was never far from my thoughts. Whenever I caught up with other close friends who knew Joel, we would inevitably reminisce about our fun times spent together, which usually resulted in us trying to leave drunken messages on Joel’s phone to tell him how much we missed him.
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Joel, I loved always being able to live in the moment with you. Never worrying about the past or the future. You were always the life of the party, my partner in crime, the little energiser bunny, a true and loyal friend.
You always spoke of your love for your family, your horses, and your farm near Hay.
You were so generous giving out hugs and kisses and compliments to all your friends.
Your laugh and your enthusiasm for life was infectious.
You made new friends wherever you went and always left a lasting impression.
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I was truly heart broken to hear that you had left us.
I’ll always regret that I didn’t get a chance to tell you in person again how much I love you.
However, when I look back at the photos of all the crazy, fun times we shared together and read all the emails and letters that we used to write to each other it takes me back to some of the very best times of my life. Ones that I will be forever grateful that I was able to share with you.
Love you longest time my precious Gympie xxxx
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