Shoppers pay respects

FOR many locals, Garry McKerrow, known as 'Bluey', was the face of beauty retailer Priceline.

From teenage girls dabbling in makeup for the first time, to the seniors who remember him working at Sacks, a clothing store that was located in the current Priceline building.

Garry has endowed himself into the realms of local legend.

The 56-year-old died suddenly on November 4. Store manager Shelley Webster knew Garry both personally and professionally.

"You couldn't fault his work ethic," Ms Webster recalled.

"His first job was actually in this building as a teenager working in a clothing store.

"He then came to Priceline about 11 years ago.

"He really was known as the face of Swan Hill retail for a long time."

When Ms Webster heard the news of Garry's passing, she was saddened but also knew the impact it would have on the broader community.

"We just knew our customers were going to be shocked and saddened by his passing," she said.

"We have had flowers and cards left at the door and we decided it would be a great idea to create a book for customers to write in so they could pay their respects.

"We will then give the book to his family as a tribute to the impact he had on others in the community."

Ms Webster took to social media to share the book and invite customers to call in and write a message.

The post was liked by more than 800 people and shared 130 times.

A table has been set up at the entrance of the store and the book already contains many pages of kind words and special memories from locals who remember the smiling sales assistant

To read more about this story, grab a copy of Wednesday's Guardian (November 15).

test data