MOTOR industry identity Graham Gamer died yesterday after succumbing to the effects of oesophageal cancer at the age of 78.
Mr Gamer began the Valley Motor Auctions business at Cardiff after a split from his brother Barry and the original Gamers Motor Auctions business.
His widow Joanne said her husband had "loved his work and his family" and was an early supporter of the Newcastle Knights, holding member number 50.
"Graham was a very kind man," Mrs Gamer said yesterday from their home at Motto Farm.
"He wasn't showy or loud, he was quite private, and he loved being able to help people."
Interviewed by the Newcastle Herald in 2013 for a "Local Hero" column, Mr Gamer explained how he'd hit upon the idea of lending pre-auction vans and wheelchair buses to people who needed them.
"So for a few years now we've been quietly offering wheelchair buses, which we have a large supply of, to the families and carers of people who are wheelchair-bound; to the people who might not be able to afford to go and hire a wheelchair bus to take their disabled family member out for the weekend," Mr Gamer said at the time.
Mrs Gamer said that her husband had continued to look in on the business until quite recently.
She said that in "semi-retirement" they'd found time to get away in the past few years, including a stint in the Northern Territory that was extended when the first COVID lockdowns hit.
His son and the general manager of Valley Motor Auctions, Rohan Coles, said the business had built up over the years since it began in 1991 and employed about 40 people.
Mrs Gamer said she and Graham married in 2002. He left six children - Steven, Lisa, Michel, Rohan, Tarrant and Lettice - and five grandchildren.
Mr Gamer's funeral will be held on Wednesday January 25th, 2.30pm at Pettigrew Family Funerals, Mayfield West.
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