Join Memories to request access to contribute your cherished photos, videos, and stories to Mervyn Laurence's memorial with others who loved them.
Join MemoriesJoin Memories to request access to contribute your cherished photos, videos, and stories to Mervyn Laurence's memorial with others who loved them.
Join MemoriesWonderful memories of Merv keeping family in touch and the party going 🥰
So sorry for your loss. Merv was a great mate of mine and introduced me to a lot of interesting rogues with our many lunches he loved organising over the years. It was a tradition to work out the bill at the end and lots of arguments occurred but all friends by the next lunch! He always kept in contact even when he moved. Rest in Peace Merv. Xx
RIP dear Dad and Grandpa. We will miss you terribly however think how fortunate we were to have you in our lives for the time that we did. Bunnies for the premiership in 2025!
Very sad for someone who was larger than life. He was a likeable rogue who was concerned that Denise Byron and myself that we would have difficulty paying the mortgage so he created jobs for me in his capacity as a building manager. There was no problem but it shows his caring for his friends.
As the only sister and 14 months older, Merv is etched in memory as my baby brother “Dutchie.” My little mate, we were shadows of each other and had all the same friends in our community. All the neighbours loved “Little Dutchie.” Whenever he came politely to collect money for raffle tickets, he chatted with them. He was, even as a little boy, good with figuring numbers in his head. I went one time to a jewellery shop in the ‘junction’ to see his selection of a piece of jewellery for Mum’s birthday present which he put on layby and paid off with sixpence each week. That gesture was his sweet nature. He loved to hear my made-up adventure stories at bedtime and would remember where last night’s story ended and needed to be continued from that spot every night. However, our own adventures in our area were stories too. We had the fabulous Sandhills known to us all as “The Speedway” with not a house on the land between our home at the corner of Beauchamp Road and Anzac Parade to Maroubra Beach. We also had the Malabar Hills and scrub and sand to play in with our friends. So many made up games of divided camps of intrigue and cowboy style games were played. Imagination ran wild for a bunch of us in our endless holidays as we walked over those Sandhills to the dunes at the beach where we surfed and splashed with older siblings for hours each day. From after breakfast to sundown and dinner time was spent outdoors and often off somewhere with many neighbours. Our first K to year two school in The Soldiers’ Settlement area was a fond memory as amazing teachers and friends made at that school and lots of enjoyment and play in the school yard after school for many of us. The soldiers’ settlement of World War Veteran’s homes and families were situated all around our park, the Memorial Park, with palms and lovely gardens along with great open spaces for “touch footy” games. All the chores of home weeding and mowing the lawns were abandoned when a gathering of boys for footy assembled for action in the park. Merv played community football as well at ovals all over and had at times Interstate football billets staying at our place. Queensland versus NSW, and all of us had good times together. In early teen years we still had all our same friends and more from our expanding lives from school years. We spent those next growing years working and partying in great form. From “Little Dutchie” came a new name, “Big Guy” and new great adventures when he married beautiful Denise and had two fabulous children, Kimberlea and Grant. Somewhere along the way he entered the Council. The day of voting pamphlets for Merv read: “Don’t forget to vote before the game”- always the “South's” man. Always in my thoughts, my wonderful family is out in Australia there to keep up “Big Merv’s” tradition of keeping your family and friends close.
(Cynthia’s husband) I first met Merv in January 1980 on my first visit to beautiful Australia. Merv had sent a letter, to Cynthia, advising that we could stay at their place and that we could find the key under the door mat as he and the family would be vacationing in the Simpson Desert. I, therefore, knew before I arrived that Merv would be an interesting character. Needless to say, he did not disappoint. When we arrived, Merv was itching to get to an infant supply store where he had arranged a cot for 13-month-old, Elizabeth. For some reason there was some sort of mix-up and the cot that Merv had asked for was not available. Merv then did some very serious hard-nosed bargaining and got a cot that served the purpose very well. He knew what he wanted and was determined to get it. The next surprise was an evening trip to Kings Cross. We started out to find out what was well and good but it took us two hours to just go around the block because every 100 feet or so Merv would run into someone he knew. The funny thing is I don’t remember anything about Kings Cross except the conversations and the people. When we got back, to the house, I told Cynthia that I thought everyone in Sydney must know Merv. He was one of a kind. I enjoyed every minute that I had the opportunity to spend with him. I wish though, we could have done more for him on our visits as he was always very accommodating and a great host with a smile and a joke. Always better if he could get a reunion organized. I appreciated everything he did for us. I will enjoy all the wonderful memories I have of Merv. May he rest in peace. The family have my deepest condolences
Please accept my condolences. I am thinking of you and you are always in my thoughts Kimberlea. Take care xx