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When soccer star, soldier and 'father-figure of Hong Kong investigations' Tony Gurka first stepped on to Hong Kong soil, it seemed he had finally found his chosen land.

The 62-year-old did, at one stage, try to leave - retiring to the suburbs of northern Sydney - but the lure of blood-red sunsets over the South China Sea, his mates at the bar of the Foreign Correspondents' Club and his love of horse racing at Happy Valley inexorably drew him back.

'You could say he fell foul of the old combination of slow horses and fast women at more than one time in his life,' said close friend and barrister Kevin Egan.

'But he was a very good judge of character and I don't think he ever associated with anyone who was not up to his own high standards of behaviour.'

Several close friends of Gurka, the founder of security firm Commercial Trade Services, yesterday paid tribute to the private investigator after his death from a heart attack at his  home on Saturday.

'If he decided he liked you he was about as loyal and supportive a man as you could ever hope to meet,' said an emotional Mr Egan, who will share the reading of the eulogy at St John's Cathedral on Monday.

Gurka, a Cantonese-speaker was the first ever foreigner  to play soccer for Hong Kong, and would later flex his talents against the world's best including the Brazilian great Pele and Portuguese star Eusebio.

He first arrived in Hong Kong as a young corporal with the British military police in the mid-60s but later left the service to follow his soccer dream, playing alongside other Hong Kong legends such as Derek Currie and Walter Gerrard.

By 1969, the thrice-married father-of-four had launched what was to become an institution in the secretive world of Asian investigations, known today as Zetetic.

'He had loads of charm and a great personality, he was the classic work-hard, play-hard person,' said his business partner and mate of 20 years, Stephen Payne. 'His favourite saying was, 'You have got to have an eye for detail', and he really did.

'He had a fabulous memory and could recall the minutiae of the thousands of investigations he was involved in over the years.

'Details like the full Chinese names, addresses, who went on the raids, what was seized.'

But it was his generous nature and patience with young investigators that confirmed his reputation as the master of his profession.

'He acted as a mentor or father-figure for so many,' said good friend, Jenkin Hiles, who served with 'the Gurka' in the British army.

'I think we will be shocked to find just how many people whose lives he has influenced, both in a professional and personal sense. He used to get into taxis and the taxi drivers would remember him straight away, he was that sort of friendly guy.

'But he will always be considered the number one undercover investigator in Hong Kong. He was a very detailed guy, with loads of tenacity and a lot of pride in his work.'

The stamp left on this city by 'the Gurka', who is survived by his wife Vicky and children Tania, Sachiko, Steve and Debbie, is certain to endure well into the future.



The Gurka: a father figure and master of private investigations