Funeral hears of "ripper bloke"

Drouin's Doug Emmerson has been described as a "ripper bloke" who had the ability to share the best parts of himself with anyone who knew him.
The Drouin chiropractor died unexpectedly at home on June 5, aged 71.
His funeral was held at Lardner Park on Thursday.
Celebrant Elisha Dowsett led the funeral service, outlining the many parts of Doug's life - farming, professional, sporting, community and family.
The service included tributes from Doug's brother Murray, sister Phyllis, nephews Chris and Matt Roberts, long time employee Barb Walker and friends Craig Carter and Phil Malcolm.
His children Tara, Gareth and Ryan, as well as his wife Richie and daughters Charlene and Sophia also provided tributes.
Doug was the youngest of five children to Rhonda and Wally Emmerson. He came from a long family history of farming and baking.
When Doug was born, his parents owned the Fish Creek Bakery before returning to farming. Doug started school at Fish Creek Primary.
In 1965, the family sought a more comfortable life and bought a milk bar in Ferntree Gully.
Two years later, the family sold the profitable milk bar and purchased their grandfather's "Millwood" dairy farm after he'd fallen ill and once again, they took up dairy farming on the 200-acre farm at Bunyip.
Doug attended Drouin Secondary College and excelled in all sports, particularly football, cricket and athletics.
He opted to go to Haileybury College at the end of year 12 where he lived on campus. Being away from family and the farm animals gave Doug a greater love of both, and his interest in breeding better genetics into the cattle came to the fore.
Within three years the herd was significantly better, with cattle recording creditable increases in production.
The family including Doug and Murray joined forces and moved north to "Robec", a farm that promised much in the way of lifestyle, income, and security. Doug set about on the breeding program, better calf rearing and "Robec" started to really grow.
Farming aside, Doug's ambition to do something else in life was calling and he decided to study to be a chiropractor.
In 1980, Doug attended a party in Melbourne with chiropractors, nurses and others in the medical field where he met Susan.
They married in 1981 and had their first child Gareth the following year. While living in Melbourne, they welcomed a second child Tara before later moving to Drouin, where their third child Ryan arrived.
Tara said her father's story was one of determination and drive.
"When he was a child at school, a teacher told him he would not amount to anything and made an example of him in front of the class, largely because he was not academically inclined. That experience stayed with him deeply and became a driving force in his life. In many ways, he spent the rest of his life proving that prediction wrong," she said.
Staff member of 25 years Barb Walker provided an insight to Doug the chiropractor.
"He cared so much about his patients. Everyone who walked through those clinic doors was so important to him. He was never going to retire willingly, he always said to me Barb, if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.
"He treated everyone with so much care and kindness spanning over 41 years. He was iconic in Drouin, everyone knew Dougie - the long-haired hippie. He was stuck in the 60's but by God it suited him to a tee," she said.
Life took Doug and Susan down different paths but they remained connected through family life.
In 2006, he met Richie and they were married in 2007. They had two daughters Charlene and Sophia.
They bought their slice of paradise, their Drouin farm in 2008 which at the time was a blank canvas of paddocks. They designed and built their dream home together.
Doug's children all inherited his love of sports and he brainwashed them to follow the Hawks, he was a loyal member of the Hawthorn Football Club for 35 years.
Football was a massive part of Doug's life, and he was well respected within the Drouin Football and Netball Club, the Drouin Cricket Club and the Bunyip Football Club for his passion, his kind donations, his support and his dedication to helping many players get back on or stay on the ground and courts with his magic hands and expertise.
He also held various coaching positions and was club president at the cricket club.
Richie said Doug wasn't just part of the Drouin community, he helped care for it.
"He would tell me that he loved what he did. He cared deeply about his patients. He wanted to help people. And he loved seeing the people he worked with every day.
"To Doug, chiropractic was never just a job. It was his passion. It was his way of caring for people and connecting with the community he loved," she said.
Doug was buried at Gulwarra Heights Cemetery. Funeral arrangements by Nielsen Funeral Services.