It is with extreme sadness that The Birdsville Roadhouse reports that Mr Walter B. Barnes has passed away after a long battle with a mysterious illness/injury. He was almost 8 years old. Wally’s health had been been deteriorating since mid January despite the best efforts of everyone around him. Long time family friend and awesome vet, Keith Newby, flew to Birdsville on Monday afternoon to assess Wally’s condition. Keith operated and removed his front left leg in a last ditch effort to save Wal’s life but sadly he didn’t make it through the night. He was buried on Tuesday morning. Walter will be sorely missed around town as he was often referred to as the ‘Unofficial Mayor of Birdsville’. Amongst all his unofficial duties he also found time to hold down at least two full-time jobs at the Roadhouse as both the ‘Customer Relations Officer’ and 24-hour security guard. Wal was easily the hardest working employee the Roadhouse has ever been blessed with and I doubt if he will ever be replaced. Keep an eye on this space over the next few days as we add photos and memories of Wal.