Those values were instilled into his four sons Jason, Troy, Luke and Dominic as they grew up and eventually moved into working at Eureka Concrete, the company he co-founded in Ballarat in 1972.

The 81-year-old died on March 10, 2024 and was laid to rest on March 19, 2024.

Troy, the current general manager, said Graeme was an extremely hard worker.

Graeme was born in 1943 and entered the building and construction industry in 1964, working for Roland Quarries. He married his wife Yvonne shortly after.

He drove concrete trucks to the Westgate Bridge which started construction in 1966 and also worked in Clayton.

Graeme brought his first truck in 1968 and two years later he was put in charge of the construction of the Bungle Dam with Pioneer Concrete.

"Back then ... ready-mix concrete wasn't that old and it was always mixed by hand," Troy said.

"Graeme used to have to load 40 kilogram cement bags into this hopper at the top of the concrete plant. They'd fill (it), do a load then have to re-fill it and do a load. Now we put it in silos and it's pumped.

"Everything was done by bags."

Graeme returned to Ballarat in 1972 and started Eureka Concrete with two old workmates. The Beastons became the sole owners in 1977.

Troy said he remembers doing some of the back-breaking work when he was young.

"We used to sell bags of cement to concreters. We'd have to get a pallet of cement in ... back then we didn't have forklifts or anything, so we'd have to unload the pallet onto the ground from the truck," he said.

"It was always a bit of a he-man effort to lift them. Graeme would say, 'you bloody kids, you've got no idea'. We'd do it, but now there's only 20 kilos in everything that people do."

Troy said his dad's hard work ethic and keeping the business in the family was a key driver of its success. It remains the only locally-owned concreting supplier in Ballarat.

The business expanded to Beaufort, Maryborough and Ballan and has stayed at the La Trobe Street site its whole life.

Graeme held positions as a batcher, load driver, mechanic, concrete mix designer and yardman - eventually getting the nickname 'The Yardman'.

Troy said Graeme was a pretty straight shooter.

"He wouldn't be afraid to have a go at someone, especially drivers," Troy said.

"If he was out on a job and a bloke brought (the mix) too wet he'd just go straight up and go, 'what ... are you thinking?', 'why the hell did you do it like that?'.

"The old days of sacking people on the spot happened."

Troy said Graeme's main focus was looking after his suppliers and customers.

"He never changed suppliers," Troy said.

"He was very loyal.

"He used to go around and see clients just in the ute - give them a pie or a can of drink, call in and say, 'G'day'.

"He lost his licence ... when he got encephalitis (in 2016). Another guy drove him around to the job sites."

Graeme was still active within the business until about six months ago. Problems with his back, stemming from the years of manual labour impacted his ability to walk.

The business turned 50 in 2022. As of 2024, business has about 60 staff from about 75 before COVID hit.

"It's a real family contribution," Troy said, giving credit to his three brothers and their mum.

"She was the greatest because she'd pull us into line."

Troy said Graeme's commitment to the job did have its challenges as he was extremely work focused.

"He would ring you at 9.30 at night worrying about something you'd already sorted out," Troy said.

He said Graeme was hard on him and his brothers, but they learned a lot.

Graeme enjoyed fox and duck shooting and would often watch his children and Yvonne play tennis after work on a Saturday.

"He supported sport ... he used to say to us, 'you're run by ... women and football' ," Troy said.

Graeme also enjoyed spending time with his 13 grandchildren.

"When they were around he would always take time for them. He would give them two dollars and the kids thought it was great," Troy said.

"In the end, that became his outlet and his calming. Work was serious then when he got away from work he was a little bit more jovial.

"He's lucky he had a great wife behind him ... she was unbelievable."

Graeme was inducted into the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in 2018 and was awarded an honorary Life Membership to the Master Builders Association of Ballarat in 2013.