 Towner never married , and on 18 August 1972 died at Longreach Base Hospital at the age of 82 . His funeral took place three days later , with a large number of Longreach citizens lining the streets to see his coffin pass by atop a gun carriage . Following a service at St Andrew 's Church , he was buried with full military honours at the Longreach Town Cemetery . By the time of his death , Towner had amassed an 80 @,@ 000 @-@ acre ( 320 km2 ) farm containing 25 @,@ 000 sheep . He remains the highest @-@ decorated serviceman from Queensland . On 24 April 2009 , a statue of Towner crafted by Melbourne sculptor William Eicholtz was unveiled in his birth town of Blackall . Inspired by an essay written by a local schoolboy , the community raised A $ 80 @,@ 000 to commission a monument in Towner 's memory . 
