Former Victorian Premier John Brumby led the tributes to John Corboy, describing him as a visionary who was instrumental in securing the region's agricultural future.
Mr Brumby was premier when Foodbowl Unlimited first presented the case for the $2 billion modernisation of the irrigation district.
“There was much local opposition and it really took people like John Corboy to stand up for it and not to wither,” Mr Brumby said.
“It will stand the test of time and it is a great legacy, John will be proudly and fondly remembered.”
Peter Johnson, who heads the current Shepparton Bypass committee, was first co-opted into the battle by Mr Corboy who had been campaigning for change since the Goulburn Valley Hwy was single lane through to the Hume Hwy.
“John was also the first chair of the Community Fund and he was as important as anyone in the creation of it,” Mr Johnson said.
“They all took so much time away from his business, but he was a remarkable man who was able to think so clearly about things. He was always so calm; he had a wonderful demeaner and was the sort of citizen that every town wants and desires because he led without fear of the personal costs.”
Co-chair of the Foodbowl Modernisation Project, publisher Ross McPherson, remembered him as a bright individual with an ability to quickly assess a person's character.
“He had a distilled wisdom and a great knack for using a story to illustrate what the issue was,” he said.
Farmer and former irrigation lobby group president Dudley Bryant said Mr Corboy refused to wear a tie, even to various parliaments.
He was also a loyal colleague.
“If you ever had to go to war, he would be the bloke to have your back.”
Businessman and philanthropist Jim Andreadis described his close friend as an extraordinary human being.
“We would assist each other in charity work and all I ever had to do was ask him, he was a staunch ally who gave freely, especially of his time and often to his own detriment because he was so committed to causes and to helping others.”
“He never sought the limelight or asked for recognition, he simply did what he thought was right, and that included helping people solve problems that weren’t his.”
“He was genuinely one-of-a-kind and just about everything good to happen here for decades has his fingerprints all over it.”