Geoff was born in Glenelg, South Australia, the second child to Lorna and Graham Richards. He had fond memories of growing up as a child in Glenelg, where he often took trips by tram to the beach and the local cinema, sometimes doing this on his own.

 

From a very young age, he showed a keen interest in electronics, often tinkering with old radios etc. His own grandmother, Mavis Dorling remembered him often asking as a little boy; 'Have you got anything old, Nana?' He had a special gift for diagnosing electronic faults which would later see him pursue a successful career in this field, spanning many years.

 

Dropping out of high school in year 10, he pursued an apprenticeship in electronic repairs with Don Grouse(?). Following this, he landed a job working for Radio Rentals in Darwin in 1974 before transferring to the Adelaide branch. After a few years there, he moved his family to Port Lincoln to work for Tandy Electronics. He eventually became partner in the business with owner, Ross Gogler. The business was later sold to Bashams Computers and Dad went it alone in Edinburgh St and continued trading as 'Lincoln T.V. Services'.

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He operated it for 20 years alongside his wife, Avril. In his words; 'I ran it for many years, up to the point that it became cheaper to replace than to repair so I bought myself a job'. Ampol Service Station in Port Lincoln was owned by him and Avril as a way to transition out of the electronic industry altogether. 

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In 2002, he embarked on a new business venture and tree change, buying the BP Service Station in Rutherglen, Victoria which he operated for 13 years.

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He was an astute business man and practical in every sense. He would try his hand at everything and was good at it too. A 'jack of all trades'  we'd call him. From building retaining walls, cementing driveways to wiring houses, paving patios, repairing bike tyre punctures, erecting sheds and even fixing windmills.  He amazed us with his practicality and would proudly tell us it was all 'self-taught'.

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He enjoyed watching pro tennis and cricket on T.V, and played tennis himself during his teens in Port Lincoln. He also dabbled in table tennis and squash.  For about 4 years during the 1980s he was a member of the Port Lincoln ski club.  He bought himself a ski boat and we had many get togethers and BBQs with other members of the club, notably Mick and Di Hart and Jody and Jeannette Scharfe.

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Dad loved to travel and see places. In his words: 'Over the years I have done a lot of travelling within Australia (so much to see) along with camping, fishing and sightseeing.' He had fond memories of the big trips up North with the Scharfe family and shorter camping trips to places such as Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges (with Karen and Jurgen Lohmann and family), Venus Bay and Coffin Bay (with Sandy and Darryl Scharfe and family). 

 

His plans into retirement were to 'get back to trying to resume a normal lifestyle.' This would involve travelling around Australia with a van and catching up with family and old friends.

 

In 2014 Dad had a heart attack followed by a stroke in 2015. He struggled with the disabilities it left him but throughout he had great coping skills and learnt to adjust.  His sense of humour never waned. In the last 3 years, his daughter moved him to Mount Gambier to be closer to family.  His health took a further decline and he suffered another stroke in 2020 followed by a another heart attack on March 4 of this year. 

Geoff died peacefully on March 6 in Adelaide at age 69 with his daughter, Carrie, sons Hayden and Nick as well as Avril right by his side at the RAH.  

His sister Lyndall visited to say goodbye and his brother Paul also called. He leaves behind 7 grandchildren.