So sad to hear he has passed, always happy when i saw him at wellington station on platform 10 heading up to johnsonville on the bus replacement. As a fellow wanganui boy myself, this is sad to hear. He always had a good joke an told me to keep up my fitness. Sometimes saw him at Te rapanuni pools in porirua. He was a good mate in the breif time i knew him. Will have a beer on my 30th for you greg an will come visit you.

Sorry to hear of Greg’s passing. We remember a very boisterous, cheeky and happy neighbour in Aramoho Whanganui. Thinking of Mark, Raewynne and Stephanie. From all the Mills family.

What a shock to hear Greg had passed. Like many, I was impacted by the accident, and now knowing it was Greg involved makes it even more poignant. As local MP, I like to get to know all the local characters, and Greg was one of them. Sitting with the local crew in Zampelles, he always had a great smile and welcome. When he got back on the buses, I always got a toot and wave as he drove past. Big in stature, nature and personality. A real loss. RIP my old mate. Greg O’Connor

OMG. I was caught in the traffic and have only just found out it was Greg that passed. I have had the honour of many conversations with Greg in the Sauna and Pool at Te Rauparaha Aquatic Centre over the years. The most genuine and caring person I have met there. He was so encouraging of my endeavour to learn to swim and shared his life experiences and perspective with myself and others. I just want to share with his loved ones that he truly had and impact on me and to so many people he touched wherever he went. You will be remembered and missed Greg.

Greg was a good mate and a decent person. Greg and I spent many hours at the pools in Porirua having deep discussions about a range of topics. I will miss those discussions and his wicked sense of humour. He was a friendly gentle giant who always tried to do the right things. My friend, you will be missed - you made a difference in a few people's lives, including my own. Go well Greg, wishing your family a long life.

I really enjoyed seeing Greg. Greg, Dave and I would go to Zampelles in Johnsonville Mall for a coffee. I would have a coke zero. We used to go for a bit of a drive to different places, talking about things. He would put Icehouse on in the car. Great Southern Land. I was always happy to see Greg on the bus or around Johnsonville Mall. I'm really going to miss you Greg. Rico.

Greg was my best friend for 26 years. He was always caring and fun to be with. I will miss his txts, coffee catch ups, Rugby discussions, bear hugs and many other things we use to do. Rest in peace my gentle Giant.

Greg was remembered at Wellesley College yesterday at a very moving Chapel Service. Jack (age 12) read these words: Good afternoon everyone. Today we are here to remember Greg, our number 2 bus driver and our friend. Greg was my bus driver for 3 and a half years, and before that I knew him from his tooting when my brother Charlie got on Bus 2 at Gipps Street. To many people Greg was the man behind the wheel of bus number 2. But to us, he was much more than that. Greg always greeted us with a smile, a wave, a thumbs up, or a funny comment to start the day. He made every boy feel welcome and important as they boarded his bus. Lots of people have shared memories of Greg over the last few days. They talked about his warm greetings, his love of seeing their fury friends at the bus stops, and the goodbye toots that became part of our school days. They remembered how he was always up for a chat and how he took the time to get to know us boys and our families. Some of us will never forget the Friday bus rides when Greg would surprise us with lollies. Greg cared deeply about people. He loved his job, he loved driving us to and from school, and he loved being part of the Wellesley community. His son Raymond shared that Greg always talked about his day at work and enjoyed his drive to Eastbourne. I think that says a lot about the kind of person he was. In truth Greg was sometimes grumpy, and often told us to be quiet for our own safety, sometimes he even needed to stop for a toilet break which made us boys giggle. But Greg wasn’t just a bus driver. He was someone who made us smile. Someone who made us feel safe. Someone who made ordinary school days and a 45 minute commute around the bays a little bit better. We will miss taping our bus tags on and seeing Greg’s smiling face each school day, but we will always remember his kindness, his humour, and the way he made everyone feel welcome. Thank you Greg, for every smile and ‘be quiet’ grumble and goodbye toot.

Greg had a big heart, was always pleased to see you and had a great sense of humour, he was a honest down to earth bloke and gave the best bear hugs, I will miss you mate, R.I.P big fella, much love Mandy Xx

Our number 23 has fallen. I first coached the Poneke premiers in 1999 and you were sideline in your customary position just to the left of the reserve bench. When i returned 3 years ago and walked out of our changing room the smile hug and hand shake welcomed me home. Through on field good times and bad times you always had our backs. You welcomed everyone associated with the red and black and made them feel loved and valued. I am going to miss our Saturday chats and your ability to pick me up when things were going against us. You are and always will be a very special part of my journey The number 23 spot will look empty but i know you are there Rest in peace champ

Greg drove Tate to and from Wellesley for the last 4.5 years. When Tate started at Wellesley he was unsure and hesitant to go on the bus (and to school in general). Greg made a huge effort to welcome Tate onto the bus every morning giving him a fist bump and a big smile. That continued right up until last Friday. Greg also would drive the boys to sporting fixtures and sit on the sideline cheering them on. He not only recognised the boys from his bus but could recognise us parents who waved the boys off most mornings. We had a good chat at the recent Scot’s fixture about how he didn’t know Tate played rugby and how much he enjoyed watching him. He will be missed and bus 2 won’t be the same without him, even when he got grumpy at the boys for being too loud.

Thank You, Greg, for your wisdom and kindness. I respected your love of family friends and sobriety. Living proof any man can turn his life around. An inspiration.

Greg was the no 2 Wellesley bus driver for my two boys, Henry and Tom, for several years. I always enjoyed seeing Greg at the bus stop and would look forward to my brief chats and laughs with him. Seeing the bus arrive on Monday with him not in the driver's seat was devastating. My dog Ollie had a love / hate relationship with Greg. In the morning as Greg would arrive to take the boys to school, Ollie would barely look at him. But in the afternoon when Greg would arrive back with them, Ollie would be desperately trying to get on the bus to say hello. Greg and I would always laugh about it- it was the same every day. Greg knew all the boys on the bus by name. He'd greet them warmly in the mornings, often with a fist pump. On Friday's if they were behaving, he'd treat them to lollies. He'd also love to watch their sport and always showed interest in whatever they were up to. We've all been deeply saddened by Greg's sudden passing. Tom will be honouring his memory at school tomorrow with a speech. As we know how much loved Greg loved Poneke and would have been gutted to miss the weekends games, the speech includes the scores. We figure the prems loss must be down to Greg's absence. Our sincere condolences to Greg's friends and family. Know that he was widely respected and loved. We will miss him.

Greg drove our tamariki to and from technology class every Wednesday. Greg was so popular with our tamariki that we had to implement a schedule so that everyone had him as their driver, either heading to tech or coming back from tech. Our kura held a liturgy in our school library on Monday with our tamariki. We shared memories of Greg, listen to reflective music and prayed the Rosary together. The tamariki have shared memories of Greg as being someone that was filled with joy and made their lives better from the brief interactions they had with him. They particularly loved Greg tooting the horn to the Hurricanes song. May the Lord's perpetual light shine on Greg and may his soul rest in peace. St Benedict's School Community

I havent known you long but it's been an absolute pleasure to work with you. I know you loved your job, the passengers and the people you worked with. When I first joined the buses, you welcomed me with a big smile and and a fist punch. You have left a big gap at work and it's different without you. Rest in peace mate, Maria

Greg, you were a true legend — a one-of-a-kind, stand-out man. We shared a chat most mornings and afternoons after you safely delivered Jack to and from school each day. You took all those boys home safely, something I know was incredibly important to you right up until your very last day. I will miss our morning chats, the hugs, and the kind words that helped get us through the hard times. Jack will miss your protection, your high fives, and your words of wisdom. You always told me how awesome we all were and how lucky you were to have us in your life. As I always told you, we were the lucky ones. A massive hole has been left in our hearts. Seeing you at the bus each morning and afternoon for the past three years was a highlight of our day. We will miss the toots of the horn, your big smile, and spotting you on the motorway. Alfie will miss your huge hugs and the excitement of greeting you each day. There don’t seem to be enough words right now to describe our family’s pain and the enormity of this loss. The kids are heartbroken. Jack is doing a tribute for you at school, which I know would make you incredibly proud. To Greg’s family, we are so deeply sorry for your loss. Greg spoke often about his love for you all. Rest in peace, big guy. You got them home safely. Your job is done now. Rest easy, Greg. We will miss you forever. ❤️

Rest in peace Greg. Heaven awaits. Sincere condolences to all your loved ones, from the Mackintosh whānau