Alexander WHITFIELD Obituary

Keith Whitfield

I'm sorry this message is so late and that I missed the service. My condolences to Keith's friends and family.
Keith, or as I knew him when we first met, was Mr Whitfield.

Mr Whitfeild was my dad's (George Orman) best friend. Keith and my dad had a lot of fun together over the years.

I was around 6 or 7 when I first met Keith. Dad would take me and my sister to Keith's house. For a child, his property was like a wonderland of adventure. Back then, Keith's mum, Mrs Whitfield (Jessica), lived next door to Keith.

We would run next door to Mrs Whitfield's and say hello, collect a container, and head off to the walnut tree that grew in front of the wool shed they had on the property. Mrs Whitfield would collect the walnuts and dry them in the back conservatory of her house. I never knew if she sold or gave them away; it did not matter. We were just there to help collect them and have fun. Mrs Whitfield would provide us with cream sponge after our work, and we would sit in the conservatory stuffing our faces, having a great time. Then it was off playing in the old orchard and empty chicken coops at the back of the property.

I had great days driving around the countryside with Keith in his truck. Keith, the professional wool buyer, visited all the farms from which he would purchase wool, and I was his little smiling sidekick. He knew every farmer, and there were always great stories and lots of laughs.

When Mum and Dad were between houses, we lived with Mrs Whitfield for a few weeks. Mrs Whitfield was a wonderful woman, and I remember that time fondly.

Mrs Whitfield's death was a sad day. We helped Keith sort out his mum's house and worked the garage sale with him to clear the house. We cracked jokes and bartered with people for fun. I hope it helped him get through that very tough time.

When I moved to England for some years, Keith came to visit on his travels. We spent a day travelling around London, jumping from underground train line to train line, seeing as much as we could that day, eating peanut MMs, and, as usual, making lots of jokes and laughing.

Keith was a member of our family, coming to family events, engagement parties and weddings.
I live in Australia now with my wife and children, and had not seen Keith for a few years. His mate George passed away in March 2020. The world has lost so much with the passing of these good men.


Keith was one of the people in my life who helped shape me over the 50 years I knew him. From the story of his plane crash and his never-give-up attitude when he was told he would never walk again, to the hard-working businessman and his quick wit for bringing a laugh.

Rest in peace, Mr. Whitfield. Thank you for the stories, the memories, and the advice. I will never forget you and your cheeky smile.
I hope you and Dad are sharing a laugh and a beer!

Your Friend
Warrin Orman

I have lovely memories of taking Keith and other RSA members on monthly outings and picnics. He had a wonderful sense of humour, was a gentleman and loved having our dog Pepi on his knee in the front seat of the van.