A Graveside Funeral Service for Mr. Bertram Harold ‘Bert’ JOHNSON will be held at the Cohuna Lawn Cemetery on MONDAY (5th October, 2026) commencing at 11:00am.
Location of Cemetery can be found here
We wish to encourage you to express your sympathies and condolences to the family via a post on this announcement which the family are able to access and read.
(All messages are pending the approval of staff to avoid inappropriate content).
** Feel free to wear a touch of North Melbourne blue and white or something bright.
Bert’s Service will be live streamed on MONDAY (5th October, 2026) commencing at 11.00am.
Please click on the Live Stream Tab on our main page where the service will be streamed live on MONDAY.
RIP Bertram Harold a great man with a heart of gold deepest sympathy to his family and all that new him. He will Always be remembered fondly in our family a true gentleman.
Dear Bertie, have just found out and am very sad.
You were my childhood idol – other girls had Elvis, I had you from the age of 7.
I know dad (West Adelaide Head Trainer – Jack Clements will be taking good care of you up there).
So glad I saw you play and also got to know you.
Much loved.
Deepest sympathy to Bertie’s family. He came to Cohuna when Tassie Pegus bought our farm and became a legend! We have a lot of his brickwork and because his aboriginal heritage everything had to be in circles to remind him of sitting around a campfire. RIP Bertie.
Love the Thompson Family.
God bless you Bertie. What a great man. ❤️
RIP Bertie….
I remember meeting Bertie through my husband (pub connection at Morphett Arms Hotel) and he did the paving at the front of our home. We invited him over for dinner. I made lasagne and we had salad….he loved it! We talked about his life, footy and work. I had such a soft spot for him. Bertie you were an amazing man….rest in peace.
Condolences to the family at this sad time. 💔
Just watched a beautiful tribute to my great mate Bertie.
So many wonderful (and some inappropriate) memories with a truly wonderful friend. We sure had some fun together, on and off the footy field. I will treasure our times together and never forget you, I will miss you forever.
I love you lots mate. ❤️
So many great times, much fun was had.
You will be missed.
Rest easy Bertie. xx
You had a great while on the planet Bernie. You will be missed by all. I’m sure Jesus won’t mind you roving around his feet. RIP.
Robbie Mack.
I first met Bertie back in the 1990s through the Pegus family. He came to our family farm at McMillans quite often with them for a BBQ Tea or Spit Roast on a weekend. It always struck me what a gentleman he was…quick to help out in anyway possible. I was shocked to find out Bertie’s actual age many years later, because he was so fit and on the go all the time. Bertie was a man of many talents and sadly there aren’t too many like him. His kindness will be greatly missed.
RIP old mate. It was a privilege to have known you my friend.
You leave us with many really great memories, probably highlighted with your offer to babysit our 3 children all under the age of 5. Mission accomplished. Our family talk of that night regularly.
Our condolences to your family Berty, we loved you very much.
As a teenager growing up in Adelaide in the 50’s and 60’s, I saw Bertie’s exploits playing for West Adelaide. He was a dynamic footballer and a forerunner of more recent indigenous champions of the ilk of Rioli, Wanganeen, even Charlie Cameron of Brisbane. He was also subject to the racial attitudes of the time, but didn’t let it affect him publicly. He was amongst the first Cohuna people we met when we came here in 1999, and over the years had a number of football ‘discussions’. He loved a punt and a drink and was generous to a fault.
Condolences to Kylie. A very top man. R.I.P. Bertie.
From the Nullarbor to the Gunbower and so many friendships in between, it’s been a privilege for our family and the Cohuna wider community to have had Bert Johnson as part of the fabric of us all …. Who will be my Red Wine mentor now ?
Cheers to you mate ,🍷
Bertie you where one of the best. Your smile, your laugh, your stories – a true legend.
RIP Bertie.
Bertie was a great friend of our family and we had many years of friendship with him.
Condolences to his family.
What a LEGEND a brilliant footballer. .
SUNRISE IN THE WEST AND SUNSET IN THE EAST.. ..RIP Bertie.
To Kylie and family,
Our thoughts are with you all. We had many good times, Friday nights drinks, heaps of gatherings. Bertie will be missed and the laughter. Kylie we apologise as Kevin and I are unable to attend Bertie’s service but he will be remembered. RIP Bertie.
Love Jeanette & Kevin.
A true shinboner, Bertie you were just a good person, hope there is plenty of cabbage where ever you land.
RIP Bertie you will be missed around Cohuna.
Maxine and Bryan.
Bertie you were one in a million, such a lovely man and you will be sadly missed.
Farewell to Bertram Harold (Bertie) Johnson
“It takes rain and sunshine to make a rainbow.”
Unknown author
On behalf of the Friday coffee group, which meets at Ron Stanton’s bus depot each Friday morning, we extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Johnson family on the passing of Bertram Harold Johnson — Bert, or Bertie, as we always knew him.
For so many years, Bertie was the heart and soul of our little group. His arrival each Friday morning meant plenty of discussion, plenty of opinions, and often plenty of laughter.
Bertie had a great knowledge of football, and his opinions were always sought on the current players, the competition and, of course, his own extensive football history.
Bert grew up in South Australia and, from humble beginnings, developed many skills. One of those was football. He debuted for West Adelaide in 1957 and joined the West Adelaide premiership side in 1961. He later transferred to North Melbourne, where he played more than 30 VFL games and won the club’s first-year player award in 1965. He also played with Williamstown and Dandenong.
He was an exciting and creative footballer who played his own way and was never afraid to back himself when the opportunity arose.
But while Bertie’s football achievements were considerable, our coffee group will remember the man we knew in Cohuna most.
Bert came to our community with the Pegus family and, over the years, built friendships and relationships with people from all walks of life. He became a familiar face and, eventually, a true part of our community.
He had a wonderful personality and could engage with people. He spoke openly about his First Nations heritage and, through his friendship with so many people in our community, gave us a greater understanding of his background and his journey through life.
Bert also had many practical skills. His ability with concrete pavers, brickwork, garden structures and pathways was well known. Many households in Cohuna and elsewhere benefited from his artistry, and some of what he created could rightly be described as works of art.
There was also the Bertie we knew around the coffee table — a man with his own ideas and his own way of doing things.
He enjoyed a small bet on the horses, but Bert did not believe in spreading his money around. He liked to put it “on the nose” — one horse, one bet. If it won, he won; if it lost, well, that was simply the way racing went.
His late friend Doug Stone would sometimes encourage him to spread the risk with an each-way bet or by backing several horses. Bert was never particularly interested in that idea. He had made his decision, and he was sticking with it!
Bert also loved gold bangles and jewellery and was often smartly dressed. He certainly knew how to make an impression.
During his years in Cohuna, Bert built friendships far beyond our little coffee group. He was well connected and had met people from many walks of life. He also enjoyed travelling to events and renewing old friendships and acquaintances.
We believe he had been part of our community for close to 20 years, and we have all been fortunate that he chose to make Cohuna his home.
As we say farewell to Bertie Johnson, we recognise that we have lost not simply a champion footballer, great Australian, but a friend, a character, a skilled tradesman, a storyteller and a man who brought his own special personality to everything he did.
It has been a privilege and an honour to have Bertie in our community and to share the many friendships and conversations that grew around him.
“I expect to pass through this world but once;
Any good therefore that I can do,
Or any kindness that I can show,
Let me do it now,
Let me not defer it or neglect it,
For I shall not pass this way again.”
Those words seem particularly appropriate when we think of Bertie’s contribution to the people around him.
Thank you, Bertie, for the memories, for your willingness to listen, for your advice and support, for the many discussions around the coffee table, and above all, for the joy of your personality.
This Friday morning, we will have our coffee together in your memory. We will remember you, tell some of your stories, smile at the things you used to say, and cherish the many memories you have left with us.
Bertie Johnson, you enriched many lives during your time among us.
“Kindness is the oil that takes the friction out of life.”
Unknown author
Perhaps that is one of the simplest ways to remember Bertie. The kindness we show, and the kindness we receive from others, helps make life more enjoyable. Bert gave much of that to the people around him, and those memories will remain with us.
Rest peacefully, Bertie. You will be missed.
The Friday Morning Coffee Group
Ron Stanton’s Bus Depot, Cohuna
Condolences to all Berty’s family and friends.
I’m sure he’ll find somewhere up there to have a bet and beer.
We will all miss you.
Thank you Bertie for your fantastic contribution to West Adelaide & in particular to the 1961 Premiership. It was a privilege to know you & share some good times together. A true champion on & off the field. A fantastic bloke with a great sense of humour. RIP great man.
So many great memories and laughs with Bertie. Mindarie Hallidon races with The Shinboner, Friday night drinks at Stu’s stables Gunbower Cup and your 80th birthday. Will always have a smile when I think of you. You were a truly special person.
Such a lovely man with a lovely smile RIP . Thinking of his family and friends ..
Gavin and Carol.
Today, we mourn not only a talented footballer, but also a cherished member of the West Adelaide family.
Bertie’s legacy as a trailblazer, teammate and friend will live on through the many lives he touched and the history he helped create.
We will miss you dearly, Bertie.
Rest peacefully, great mate.
West Adelaide Football Club Past Players & Officials.
What an absolute legend. Your cheeky smile and infectious laugh will be missed but always remembered. Your stories revered.
We were so honoured to know you and call you a friend.
Bertie, my mate, you are so very loved and will be dearly missed forever in my heart ❤️
Much love to Kylie and family. Thinking of you all. 💜
A true gentleman with a heart of gold and a smile to match. May your legacy and memory live on.
Rest in Peace Bertie.
One of nature’s true gentlemen, and a much loved member of our community. RIP Bertie. We’re all better for having known you.
The most beautiful man. The biggest heart with the smile to match.
Will miss you Bertram Harold. x
R.I.P Burty you will be missed.