HABERL, Andreas John “Andy”

Sending sincere condolences to Celia and her family at this sad time. Love Heather and Russ Lavell

So sorry to hear this sad news Celia.
Sincere condolences to all your family xx

Spent many of years serving you at Aldi and you would teach me all the Yugoslavian words and would quiz me on them every time I seen you( 12 years I worked there and you were a weekly customer) thank you for always being your happy self- may your family find comfort in the memories they share with you x

We are saddened to read this news.
Our sincere condolences to Celia and all the family.
Lou and Barb Furnell

So sorry to hear of his passing. Thinking of you all at this sad time.

There are no words for something as heartbreaking as this.
Thinking of you Celia and your family xxoo

Our sincere condolences to you Celia and to the family, with the sad news of Andy’s passing. From Jean and Dennis Turner (Dean)

Dear Celia and family thinking of you In your time
Of greasing for Andy Deepest sympathy and love Barbara cCameron

Andy and his family featured a lot while I was growing up. He was a solid, true and fine man that I admired – and sometimes feared when we kids were out of line ! .Dinners with the Haberl’s was fun, and I feel lucky that Andy was my Godparent and part of my life.

Andy had an amazing ‘air’ about him. He always seemed so calm. He also tended to often have good advice. Andy delivered that advice by weaving it gently through good—and sometimes, cheeky—humour, where it was always palatable to the listener…and where the listener didn’t necessarily even notice that they were receiving some form of helpful life-lesson, or advice.

There was always a subtle hint of wisdom to Andy’s words. Which due to his fortunate delivery, always came across as showing he had a very caring nature towards people.

The quality of the ‘air’ that Andy had, was that you were always happy whenever he was around. And if he wasn’t around, he was worth finding just so you could be around him. Especially if playing some solid hands of Solo (a card game, for the uninitiated), because Andy was a brilliant partner for a ‘Prop n Cop’ call…even if an ambitious one!

Each of Andy’s kids and Celia are similar, in that they always present like calm people and have great senses of humour too.

Being much younger than Andy’s kids, I still remember fondly whenever we visited them and I was hanging out with any of the kids (Leigh, Belinda, Glen). They were not annoyed by me. They gave time to me and included me in their convos or whatever they were doing. I liked and appreciated that. Despite each of his kids—who were very cool in my books—having their own unique temperaments and interests, they all had that same common thread of respect for all others and treating people both equally and ‘as they are’.

So, I guess you could describe Andy and the whole family as being approachable. They didn’t turn you away. Didn’t ignore you. They actively included you and made you feel comfortable in their presence. It’s that air they have.

We don’t see behind closed doors. From the outside though, whatever Celia and Andy were cooking up and promulgating and propagating in their household, it simmered and permeated beautifully amongst their kids.

No doubt, that sweet and gentle waft of air is carried on and further—despite Andy’s passing—through not just his immediate family, but amongst and through all the people that ever had the pleasure of knowing or interacting with Andy and his family at any point.

When my father (a long-time friend of Andy’s since school age) told me of Andy’s passing, he said that Andy had mentioned recently to him something to the effect that he ‘didn’t have any big regrets in, and about the life he lived’.

What other’s perceive as regrets, maybe Andy perceived them as turning points or life-lessons. Perhaps those lessons facilitated that caring part in Andy, where it shaped his nuance of often subtly threading wisdom into and through his words. Where he wanted others to benefit and possibly be helped.

To participate in the raising of such beautiful kids, to pleasantly touch the lives of others in such an approachable and pleasant way, is the opposite of regret. It’s an achievement. If you pass on in life and have people miss you (and hopefully no one hating you), then you have little to regret and have contributed immensely and lived a life worth living.

It’s been years since I have seen you Andy and heard your cheeky anecdotes. However, I still do, and always will picture you easily and vividly and hear that somewhat delayed—yet quietly confident—return call of ‘Cop!’

‘Shout out’ to Celia and the kids. Hope you get to read this. Have never had, nor made the opportunity to let each of you know the above about your father, but especially about each of you. I was/am an insignificant blip in the history of your own lives. How amazing that such insignificance, was left with such impressions. Big love and hugs to each of you 🙂

A good and kind man, a special friend.
Andy has been my friend since our early Moe High School days and Andy’s friendship will live on for me in our special memories, built up over the years.
A friendship that began before either of us were married but quickly grew after marriage, to include our wives and children.
Celia, Lee, Glen and Belinda, our thoughts are with each of you.

Love, Stephen and Catherine Abbott

Deepest sympathy to Celia and families, on the passing of Celica beloved Andy , Andy always lived a chat on passing in the street , will be sadly missed