George Frederick Dion Erwood was born in Carlton on the 23rd of October 1929.  The only child of George and Catherine Erwood, he was raised in Newport and attended Newport Primary School and Williamstown High School.  Upon leaving school, George worked as a purchasing officer.

While holidaying in Lorne in the early 1950's, George met Valerie Davidson and they married in Glen Iris in 1953.  They lived with George's parents in Newport, where their first child, Gail, was born.  Soon after this, they built a house in Sunshine, and Greg, their second child arrived soon after. 

In the early 1960's, George accepted a position managing the co-operative store in Pyramid Hill, country Victoria.  The young family packed up and made the move, remaining there for three years, before returning to Melbourne.  Soon after their return, George and Val went their separate ways, with Gail remaining with her father and his mother in Newport and Greg going with Val and her mother.  They remained good friends and the family would get together regularly, ensuring a strong bond was maintained between the children.

George worked for many years as payroll officer at VicRail, retiring at the age of 60.  He adored his grandchildren, Danni, Katie and Ben, and enjoyed being able to spend time with them after he retired.  A lifelong supporter of the Footscray (now Western Bulldogs) Football Club, he was ecstatic that they were the fourth generation of the family to follow the club.

Sport was a very important part of George's life.  An active sportsman all his life, George excelled at athletics and table tennis in his younger days.  He was a highly regarded sprinter at Williamstown Athletics Club and was an athletics marshall at the 1956 Olympics held in Melbourne, which he said was one of the highlights of his life.  An A-Grade table tennis doubles player, he won the Victorian title on more than one occasion.

He took up lawn bowls at a younger age than most and went on to become a champion bowler in his later years, winning many trophies and championships.  He was heavily involved with the Newport Bowling Club, holding several positions of office. 

In September 1994, George was diagnosed with a rare and extremely aggressive form of cancer and in early March 1995, Gail and Greg lost not only their father, but their best friend as well.

On the day of his funeral in 1995, a lot of members of Newport Bowling Club were unable to attend due to pennant being played on the day.  The Club requested that the cortege pass by the greens so that those who were unable to attend could pay their last respects.  Play was briefly suspended and members, many who had been George's friends for years, lined the street as the cortege drove by.  George would have been pleased.

Miss you Dad ... so much.