Graeme Maurice Bayley, known affectionately as ‘Bails’ to many, was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, a great mate to his friends, a serviceman to his country, a ‘mad Collingwood supporter’ and a cheeky Aussie larrikin.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
He was born a twin in Wellington, New Zealand, on December 15, 1947, to Australian parents Reginald and Beryl.
He moved to Australia with his family in 1956.
When growing up, Graeme was into sports, such as squash, golf, swimming and fishing.
On May 1, 1968, he enlisted in the Australian Army as a rifleman.
He was deployed to Vietnam on January 16, 1969, where he served until May 30 the same year.
His Section Commander, Brisbane’s Steve Young, said Graeme joined 8 Platoon, C Company 4RAR as a “bright-tailed, keen national serviceman, very keen to attack the job at hand”.
He said Graeme quickly earned the platoon’s respect and was considered an exemplary soldier.
When he returned home from war and was discharged from the Army on April 30, 1970, he and his wife Rosalee (dec), whom he’d met and married before going to Vietnam, started a family in Melbourne.
They had two daughters.
Graeme was a regular along with his father at Collingwood football matches on weekends, where friends joked they were easily recognised because “they didn’t look like your typical Collingwood supporters”.
On other weekends, Graeme would often be found fishing for flathead off Newhaven, Phillip Island, in Victoria’s south with his family and friends.
In 1992, he joined the Kew RSL sub-branch, becoming involved in advocacy work assisting veterans with their Veterans Affairs pensions.
After their first grandchild was born in the Goulburn Valley, he and Rose relocated to Shepparton to be closer to family in 1997.
He transferred his RSL membership to the Shepparton branch and continued his advocacy work locally.
Graeme was passionate about his role and was known to travel long distances to help veterans he knew, yet, in general, friends said he and Rose were homebodies, preferring to stay near family over travelling.
“He wasn’t a holidayer. He and Rose never holidayed much, they stayed close to their family,” Shepparton RSL president Bob Wilkie said.
Graeme and Bob attended Vietnam Veterans reunions together and spent a lot of time together during those trips.
“There were just so many good times that I had with him personally,” Bob said.
“He was just funny all the time, he used to just joke around, he used to give the staff a bit of cheek and they all loved it.
“He was about the only one who could get away with it.”
Graeme would often recite a story that he was planning a trip to Vietnam. He would say he walked into a travel agency and asked how much a return flight to the South-East Asian country was.
When the agent said they had a $999 special on, Graeme said he told her it was a rip-off and that it was considerably cheaper the last time he visited.
The woman said the special was the lowest price they’d ever offered and asked him how much he paid last time, to which he responded: “It was free and that included flights, accommodation, food and all my activities,” of course referring to his tour of duty.
Around 15 years ago, Graeme began delivering RSL funeral services for sub-branch veterans.
He was respected by local funeral directors and praised for his professionalism.
Graeme spent the past two decades volunteering for the RSL’s Anzac and Remembrance Day appeals, selling badges and poppies every day for two weeks of the campaigns.
“He was always first to put his hand up to go and sell badges every day of the week,” Shepparton RSL general manager Grant Tarrant said.
“He loved helping people. He was just a really, really kind person.”
Graeme is also credited with instigating the innovative way in which Greater Shepparton commemorated Anzac Day in 2020 when COVID-19 caused the cancellation of public services across the state.
Families quietly gathered at the end of their driveways in place of a dawn service while Shepparton’s cenotaph stood silent and the RSL’s commemoration service was published via The News website.
Bob and Grant said Graeme was a regular at Shepparton RSL and used all of the facilities there.
“He was a very good friend to everyone. He was probably here daily,” Grant said.
“If you didn’t see him you’d need to know where he was because it was unusual for him not to be here.”
A creature of habit, the chef knew to prepare his routine takeaway order of beef and black bean every Friday night after he’d stopped in for a beer with mates before heading home at 7pm on the courtesy bus.
“He was just a lovely man, a very kind man, a gentle man and a very funny man. He will be missed for sure,” Grant said.
Graeme passed away unexpectedly on January 13, 2025, at Shepparton Private Hospital, aged 77.
A service was held at Owen Mohan on Monday, January 20.
Bob said the chapel was “packed”.
“It was a testament to how much he was loved.”
Graeme’s friends said it wouldn’t be the same walking into the RSL without him there smiling over a coffee in the morning or a beer in the afternoon.
“Graeme was a great bloke and will be sadly missed,” they said.
Graeme’s list of honours and awards include Australian Active Service Medal 1947-1975 with clasp ‘Vietnam’, Vietnam Medal, Australian Defence Medal, Anniversary of National Service 1951-1972 Medal, Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Unit Citation and Returned from Active Service Badge.
His family will remember him as a kind, caring and loving man who thoroughly enjoyed time spent with the family, particularly his grandchildren.
Senior journalist