THE FUNERAL is being held this afternoon for a popular Phuket bar owner who died in a freak motorcycle crash earlier this week.

Scores of expats and Thais are expected to turn out at Patong temple this afternoon to mourn John Grant Kerr, 53, who ran the Anzac Bar in Patong's OTOP complex on Rat-U-Thit-200-Pi Road.

A New Zealander by birth, Mr Grant spent most of his working life in Australia and was a good friend to many other local bar owners.

Australian Neil Cheyne, 60, who runs the neighboring Lilly's Bar, marked the two nation's Anzac Day celebrations jointly with Mr Kerr and their customers late last month. The Anzac celebrations are generally regarded as the most significant for both countries.

''It was a freak thing,'' Mr Cheyne told Phuketwan before heading to today's funeral. ''John always wore a helmet, and he always rode slowly. It happened at 7.15am on Monday morning.

''He was just a couple of hundred metres from home when he swerved to avoid another vehicle. He hit the raised footpath on the bridge near the new Honda centre in south Patong.''

Mr Kerr's neck snapped and he is believed to have died instantly.He was giving a ride home to a Thai woman, who suffered only gravel rash.

''John's brother is here,'' Mr Cheyne said. ''He came from South America. The future of the Anzac bar will be decided sometime after the funeral.''

Mr Cheyne described Mr Kerr as ''a very good friend. We had bars opposite each other, so we got to know each other well. John was well-liked by a cross-section of the expats here, especially the Australians, and a lot of Thais as well.''

The New Zealand Herald newspaper reported that Mr Kerr had been on Phuket during the 2004 tsunami and returned later to open the Kiwi Bar, followed by the Anzac Bar.

Other Phuket bar owners echoed Mr Cheyne's views on Mr Kerr. Steve Wood, who runs the Aussie Bar in Patong's popular Soi Bangla, said: ''John had a lot of friends here and I don't know anyone who didn't like him.''

Almost 12 months ago to the day, all of Patong was talking about the beer mat incident at the Aussie Bar when Australian tourist and mother of four Annice Smoel was accused of theft. Media coverage in Australia led to top-level political intervention and Mrs Smoel's fine being paid by the Governor of Phuket, Wichai Praisa-ngob.

This year, the main topic of conversation is the sad death of John Kerr, and the many other needless deaths of expats and Thais while riding motorcycles.

The toll in lives and injuries is large, and constantly growing. Mr Cheyne said: ''I've been liaising with the New Zealand Embassy about the arrangements for John, and the chap there said most of his job involved motorcycle deaths or taking care of people who had been injured.''

Mr Kerr's sister Marlene Foley told the New Zealand Herald that her brother bought the Kiwi Bar in 2005 and renamed it Anzac Bar in 2007. The former Aucklander was in Phuket with friends when the tsunami hit the island in 2004 and moved there a year later.

Mrs Foley said her brother was a keen traveller and a ''fun-loving and caring person''. ''His nieces and nephews call him the 'fun uncle,''' she said. ''It has blown me away at the number of people that knew and loved John.''

Family and friends travelled to Phuket for today's funeral. Some of his ashes will be scattered on Phuket and the rest will be taken to New Zealand for a family farewell.

Phuketwan supports the Mothers or Motorcycles (MoM) action group, which aims to increase rider awareness and reduce needless deaths and injuries.

Facebook farewell messages for Mr Kerr include:

Lisa Ayson John, a truly amazing man! You will be missed, thank you for opening up your heart and showing us the most amazing time in Phuket in both 2007 and again only five short weeks ago. You were our friend and smiling host, Phuket will not be the same without you. RIP our friend - Lots of love, Lisa & Glen

Marlene Foley John is lying at the Temple right now. Family and friends are there with him. Cremation for John is on Sunday. Thank you everyone for your support. my love to the girls at the bar who are looking after John. Wayne, Glenda, Graham, Alan and I thank all of you for being John's friend.

Olivia Bayley RIP John, Thank you for making our stay in Thailand so amazing, you and the girls looked after us, and we couldn't thank you enough. You are going to be missed by so many people, and you touched the hearts of so many people in such a short time! You are such a generous and amazing person! You will be sadly missed by so many people!

Nicola Foley RIP Uncle John xxx