On Friday 27 January, the cycling, and Rutherglen community was left devastated by the news of Tony Reeckman’s death following a crash with a driver during a ride in Lilliput.
Tony, 59, is remembered as a beloved partner to Deb, brother to Anne, Barbara, Elizabeth and Peter, and uncle and friend to many. Both his parents had predeceased him. Tony’s passions included farming, photography, and of course, cycling.
The Amy Gillett Foundation’s thoughts are with all who knew Tony and we extend our sincere condolences to all affected by this shocking loss.
Tony was an experienced and very safety-conscious cyclist. He had been riding for over twenty years and regularly participated in rides with the Wangaratta Cycling Club. He was a widely known and well-liked member of the border district cycling community. Tony regularly joined charity rides including the Amy Gillett Foundation’s annual ride along the Great Ocean Road and was a great fan of the Tour de France which he watched every year.
Tony had many interests outside of farming. He was an amateur musician, playing the guitar, saxophone, drums, and didgeridoo; he was an accomplished sportsman having participated in rowing, Australian rules football, golf, and now in his currently passion, cycling. He was a very talented photographer and a great cook. Like many farmers he could fix anything. He loved good food, beer, and travel, and he and his partner Deb had many plans for how they were going to enjoy their retirement.
Anne, Libby, Barbara, Peter and Deb.
Tony’s family
FUNDRAISE IN TONY’S MEMORY
In partnership with Tony’s family, AGF have created the following fundraiser in Tony’s memory. A goal of $50,000 has been set to help AGF’s work on building safe roads for riding a bike.
Our roads need to be designed so that when a driver makes a mistake, a cyclist isn’t killed or hospitalised. Our program includes work to upskill council staff to build roads with separated bike lanes and shoulders.
