When Scone's Leslie "Les" Graham fell sick, his family never imagined they would not be able to properly say goodbye.

But with new restrictions on funeral attendance, many of his loved ones couldn't be there to farewell him in Scone on April 1.

That did not stop the family coming together to remember their father, brother, uncle, pop and friend.

Social media can be a powerful tool when it is used to break down geographical barriers, and in this case the family's tribute to Les spread further than any of them thought possible.

As a country man, Les didn't spend many hours out of his boots.

So, in a tribute to him, family and friends put their boots out for pop and posted a photo of it to Facebook with the hashtag #BootsOutForLes.

The gesture spread all over the Hunter and beyond with hundreds of people - friends, family and strangers - putting their boots out to support the family who couldn't be with their loved ones to grieve.

"My pop never went a day without wearing his boots," granddaughter Cassi Herbert said.

"He would wear down a pair of boots then straight away go to his cupboard and pull out a new pair."

The idea started as a post to the family Facebook group, but within a day it spread far and wide.

"We said we would put our boots out, turn on Slim Dusty and have a beer for pop," Cassi said.

"Then, it went from a few of us putting our boots out to say 'cheers to pop' to everyone putting them out - people that we didn't even know were putting them out.

"We had Scone businesses putting boots out, even people in New Zealand putting boots out because they knew a friend of a friend.

"It was work boots, baby boots, just anyone that found a pair of boots of any kind popped them out and said 'this is for your pop'."

Cassi said the hardest part wasn't not being able to attend the funeral, it was the additional separation from the rest of the family.

"We all knew it was coming but the hardest thing was not being able to embrace your family during that time," she said.

"I can't even see my mother, or my grandmother, which makes it harder.

"His wife and three out of four of his daughters were able to attend the funeral.

"If it wasn't for the internet and video calls, we wouldn't have been able to be together at all, even if it wasn't the same."

Les, who was a long-term Scone local, was born in Forbes on September 6, 1941.

He passed away in Scone on March 26, 2020.

Les leaves behind loving wife Sandra Graham, daughters Margie, Cathie, Judy, Georgie, 11 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren with one on the way.

He will be remembered as a country man who loved being on the land, a boilermaker, a drover, a farmer and someone who loved his family.