Terry, who collapsed suddenly inside a Fernhill property, has been memorialised with a statue, ‘Man O’ Words’, which stands outside his favourite local watering hole, Pig & Whistle Pub.
He assembled an extraordinary number of friends during his 14 years in town whom he’d greet with repeated handshakes and big hugs — in fact the statue’s been tweaked to incorporate an outstretched right hand.
"Once you met Terry, he grew on you like moss," one friend says.
Testament to his popularity is about 300 people from near and far attended his memorial celebration at the Pig, including his parents Lesley and Tony and brother Mark, from England — the latter helped organise the service.
Red carpet was laid out, balloons were flown and a banner read ‘Happy Wednesday Terry’.
Lesley, who along with Tony had been due to fly over to see Terry in January, says despite being a social animal he was also the fittest and healthiest member of their family.
A friend says "you were always happy when you saw him, he was just smiling, ready for the handshake and saying ‘Happy Friday’ or whatever day it was".
"He’d say ‘you’re a legend’ but really, he was the legend."
He loved a fancy dress party, but he was also a really hard worker who’d help out any friend who needed a hand.
Peter Duerden, another friend, says "upon hearing Terry’s family was heading over to New Zealand on the next available flight, it was a no-brainer to create a GoFundMe that would allow all those who knew and loved Terry a quick and easy way to provide whatever support they could to the Trowman family".
"The original goal was $10,000; as it stands, we have raised over $20,000, a figure that if nothing else is testament to how well thought of Terry was and continues to be.
"His loss has been felt by a great many people, Queenstowners past and present, but a legacy of handshakes and ‘Terryisms’ will live on always."
One ‘Terryism’ was: "We’re only one day away from death, act accordingly."
Two friends bought ‘Man O’ Words’ — a corten steel sculpture by Riverton’s Rodger Thompson which Arrowtown’s Birdwoods South had been exhibiting — "because we believe he was a king of men, and every king deserves a statue", they say.
"It’s for all of us to remember and for people in town to admire, because if you read it it’s basically everything you should stand for in life, just like ‘our Terry’ — ‘love’, ‘heart’, ‘strength’, ‘family’.
Friends are approaching the council to see if it can be installed in a nook by the Ballarat St Bridge, just metres from his favourite place, the Pig.
