KOROIT identity Mickey Bourke left behind a pub named in his honour and memories of a generous man when he passed away on Tuesday, aged 85.Mr Bourke, who had been ill for some time, spent much of his life at the pub that shares his name after his father, Edmond, bought the Koroit Hotel in 1922.Two years later, Michael was born at the pub, as were his subsequent siblings Mary, Sheila and Jeanette.One of Mr Bourke's few stints away from the family business was at the age of 18 when he served as a gunner with the AIF during World War II in New Guinea.His sister, Mary Fiorini-Lowell, said Mr Bourke never talked about his time fighting the Japanese."He was there during the height of the fighting and was very lucky to survive," Mrs Fiorini-Lowell said.The Koroit Hotel was bequeathed to Mr Bourke after his mother died, which Mrs Fiorini-Lowell said was a good move."He made it like home for us," she said. "(After we moved away) we were always there for Christmas and Easter and the May Races."Mr Bourke married Ellen in 1964 and they had five children; Maryanne, Siobhan, Peter, Michael and Ailish, who in turn produced nine grandchildren.The long-time publican not only inherited the pub from his parents, but also a passion for horse-racing - his father Edmond rode in the Melbourne Cup and was a reasonably successful horse trainer.He was also a handy footballer, playing for Koroit."He didn't like playing in bad weather though," his sister recalled."One day he ran out onto the field and a teammate noted his stomach was rattling a bit. Michael lifted up his jumper and showed he had a hot water bottle underneath."But it was Mr Bourke's generosity that stood out in her memory, Mrs Fiorini-Lowell said.She recalled a story she had heard about a group of Balmoral men who travelled down in the wake of the Ash Wednesday bushfires to rebuild fences at Naringal.After their work was done, the men phoned Mr Bourke and asked if they could book a table for a meal at the pub on the way home, to which Mr Bourke said "no worries"."When they arrived the pub was closed up, but they went around the back and found a note on the back door saying 'Help yourselves'," Mrs Fiorini-Lowell said.The men went inside and found food and beer all laid out for them. When they contacted Mr Bourke to find out how much they owed him for the fine spread, the publican said "nothing" - it was his way of thanking them for donating their time to help rebuild the fire-ravaged region.Aside from his generosity, the story also demonstrates Mr Bourke's trusting nature."He was always one for (asking patrons) 'would you hop behind the bar for me for a while?' and then he'd go off to play golf or run a horse," Mrs Fiorini-Lowell laughed.Mr Bourke also became something of a tourist attraction thanks to his pet cockatoo, which performed tricks in the bar for the amusement of amazed patrons.A mass will be held at St Mary's Basilica in Geelong on Monday. Mr Bourke will then be buried at the Queenscliff cemetery.