'The heart of Phar Lap' is how Bollon grazier Scott Todd is being remembered, following a freak accident in Thargomindah that has claimed his life.
The 38-year-old died in a single vehicle incident on Dowling Street, Thargomindah early on Saturday morning, when he fell from the tray of a Toyota Landcruiser utility, resulting in critical injuries.
Police said he died at the scene, but the driver of the vehicle, a 27-year-old Thargomindah man, was not physically injured.
Leon Christiansen says a party in Roma or around Condamine was probably where he most likely met the man who became a good friend but it was in recent years that they reconnected, when Mr Todd was going through some tough times.
"I helped him through that, and he helped me in turn, because he was like that," Mr Christiansen, a resilience coach, said.
"He was likeable and infectious.
"The thing with Scott, he lived life full-on - he had his struggles but he had the ability to make things happen.
"He was a leader, no doubt about that, and he had the conviction and passion for his ideas."
Mr Todd ran a vibrant sheep, goat and cattle enterprise at Brigalow Downs south of Bollon with his wife Alison and their three children, Grace, Will and Olivia.
He told the Queensland Country Life that they came to the property in 2014, walking into one of the biggest droughts on record.
"He knew, every drought ends and he just had to see it through," another of his good mates, Geoff Pike said. "If you could see what he battled through and came out the other side of - that's the sort of person he was."
Mr Todd worked for the Pikes at Thargomindah and Mr Pike remembers that he had the best work ethic of anyone he'd encountered.
"He had a bit of mongrel about him - if he found people who thought they were half handy, he'd put it to them," he said. "On the other hand, he deadset had a soft spot for people who had a go."
Tenacity and morals are other words Mr Pike uses to describe his friend.
"He gave his business every last cent but he never gave up," he said.
"Last week was the happiest I'd ever seen him.
"He'd set up his family and his kids and he was just seeing the benefits of all his work."
Mr Pike said that when they lost a very significant business in western Queensland, it was Mr Todd who went out of his way to see if they were OK.
"He had very strong morals, he was one of a kind in every sense.
"He loved a challenge, he's what the word resilience was invented to describe."
Mr Todd's ability to connect people, all the while being full of cheek, is another facet of the man that Leon Christiansen remembers well.
"I'm pretty grateful that we got to spend time together," he said. "It's a reminder to us all to deal with our problems so we can take charge and help others - that's what Scott did."
As well as providing a testimonial for his webpage about the importance of reaching out for help, he said Mr Todd was proactive in the space of children's mental health.
"He was always thinking outside the box - he was one of a kind."
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Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications.
