THERE are good blokes and then there’s Grant Lowe, a really good bloke everyone loved as a kind-hearted, community-minded family man and mate with a great sense of humour.

An Ipswich boy through and through, Grant went to Bremer High School.

He was also a projectionist at Birch Carroll and Coyle cinema in Ipswich and boasted the title of the youngest projectionist in Australia at age 15 in 1994.

After school, he did a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies and Industrial Relations at the University of Queensland.

Grant was still quite young when he got started in real estate, working for LJ Hooker and Realway, where he made a lot of enduring business contacts.

His auctioneering skills came in handy with his charity work as he raised money for Beyond Blue, Biggest Morning Tea, White Cloud Foundation, Young Life, prostate cancer, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, local causes, sporting clubs - you name it.

He was a founder of Swich On, an Ipswich organisation established in November 2011 by a group of Ipswich businessmen to promote awareness of men’s health issues and raise funds for men’s health causes in the Ipswich region.

Grant was president of Swich On from 2011 to 2017 and in 2019 he was presented with life membership.

The Swichettes was formed as a kind of women’s version of Swich On and Grant and his wife Amanda, a foundation Swichette board member, were instrumental in developing it too.

From real estate Grant went into insurance and he started running his own business, Future Protect Insurance in 2018.

Like most of his mates, sport was a massive part of life for Grant.

He loved his soccer, especially Liverpool, lived for rugby league – the Broncos and the Maroons, of course – loved watching cricket and played some Last Man Standing.

One of his prouder sporting achievements was opening the batting for Booval when they knocked over the mighty Marburg Mustangs in an under 15 cricket final.

He recently fulfilled a dream when he went to the NRL grand final with some friends and he also went to the Intrust Super Cup grand final.

Memories of those days and the many more special times with him will help sustain Amanda and their two sons and Grant’s friends and family as they try to come to terms with his death on Remembrance Day at the age or 42 after a sudden medical episode in the weeks prior.

The Vale Grant Lowe Maiden Plate was the first race on the program last Friday at Ipswich racetrack. He would have loved that, his mates agreed. 

His funeral and a celebration of his unforgettable life were held at St Paul’s Anglican Church on Monday.

The Swichettes said Amanda and her two young children along with Grant’s extended family and friends would remain in their hearts and prayers.

The Swich On board paid tribute to Grant as a longtime board member and volunteer and a key driving force behind the organisation.

The board said his dedication to making things happen and his incredible sense of humour, wit and business acumen were known to all.

“We've lost a mate first and foremost and Ipswich has lost a community-minded man who gave back to his city via Swich On Inc,” they said.

Their thoughts were with Amanda and their young boys and they continued his legacy on Friday night by running the organisation’s most successful annual event, the sportsman dinner/lunch that Grant built from the ground up.

Guest speakers over the years at the events Grant often MC’d included sporting greats Mal Meninga, Paul Vautin and Kerry O’Keefe.

Friday night’s guests were Ipswich legend Alfie Langer and rugby league coaching great Wayne Bennett. 

Grant was a real driver of those events; with all the big functions he was always on the front foot - organising memorabilia, guests and which organisations to donate to.

“We miss you mate,” President Brad Bulow, Vice-President Ben Hayward, Secretary Lukas Kent and Treasurer Jacob Wilson said on behalf of Swich On.

Long-time close friend Michael Hillier spoke for many with a heartfelt and humorous Facebook post.

“Where do you start with the great ‘G’?” he said.

“One of the best, definitely the funniest person I have ever met. Had a line for everything, no matter the situation. He could break the ice with a few words and there would be a room filled with laughter.

“Just doesn’t feel real and I keep expecting you to bounce out and pretend you’ve pranked us all, like a scene out of a random movie, of which you’d know every bloody word.

“Best tennis doubles partner ever, my favourite MC, budding businessman, great husband and father, kind-hearted charity man and community leader, diehard Broncos and Maroons fan - the list goes on.”