Sitting down to put 80 odd years of your life together and make it interesting for others to read is a daunting task to say the least.
You need to start at the beginning, so I was born in Penrith, New South Wales in 1943 and had an older sibling, Margaret.
My father, Kenneth, was a manager for Penfold Wines, and together with my mother Joan, we lived at the Minchinbury Vineyards.
During World War ll my family moved to Modbury in SA, taking up vineyards with dad’s brother and family as weekend farmers, whilst all the brothers worked for Tolley’s Vineyard in Modbury during the week.
Grandfather Phillips was the manager at Modbury.
I attended Modbury Primary School when it was staffed by just two teachers, with the headmaster who lived on school premises.
We lived about 1.5 miles from the school, on dirt roads; downhill to school, and uphill return. There we had no electricity or mains water until I was about seven.
It seems rather incongruous looking back, to match a teetotaller’s vision with that of a vocation in the wine industry! I guess someone had to do it.
After the traditional Methodist upbringing in my formative years, I went to Urrbrae Agricultural High, which was quite some distance across the city of Adelaide.
However, the family moved to Cudlee Creek in 1956, so I continued my education at Birdwood High School, where I completed my Intermediate Certificate in 1958.
Again, I had to ride three miles from home to the school bus stop.
After only a short stint at leaving level, I left school to help on the family farm.
It was during this time at Birdwood High that I met an attractive, young and athletic redhead in my year, called Margaret Ayers.
Little did I realise then, that we would meet up again nearly five years later and marry in 1964.
On our 30-acre property we grew mainly summer crops of tomatoes, onions, beans and cauliflowers, along with orchards of apples, pears and plums.
Pruning and picking crops was very hard work. Together with many local lads we used to earn extra money by doing ‘piece work’ at the local cold stores.
During those years I developed my still-current interest in Australian native plants.
The additional work, plus getting my driver’s licence on the day I turned 16, was a ticket to freedom and the beginning of my passion for cars and restoration.
Shortly after, I owned my first MG TC sports car.
I continued to work on my parents’ property for several years but then decided, after attending a Christian Endeavour Conference in Perth, that I wanted to become a Methodist preacher like my father, who was a lay-preacher in our district.
Having completed a year of preliminary studies at Maughan Church in Adelaide, I went on to study full-time at Wesley College.
That year was a struggle, adapting to university studies, which became further removed from my personal goals in life. So, I left in 1963 at the age of 20.
I was very fortunate to be able to work for the Gumeracha District Council from 1964, where I gained a good grounding for working in local government whilst attending night school for two nights a week until I left Cudlee Creek.
Our first child, Abigail, was born in 1966, after which we made the big move to Eyre Peninsula in 1967, where I started work on the Eastern Eyre Weeds Board for Cleve and Kimba councils.
The following year saw us move again, this time to Port Lincoln – for possibly five or six years, depending.
I was working for the Port Lincoln District Council then, all the while doing studies by correspondence to achieve qualifications for health, food and building works, weeds and local government by-laws.
Overall, it was some seven years later and a total of 11 years of study to get all my qualifications.
In 1973, after all the local government boundaries changed, I was successful in obtaining a job with the Port Lincoln City Council as an inspector.
Back then the population of Port Lincoln was about 10,000.
Primarily I worked as a building and health inspector, plus town planning and responsibility for other inspectorial services.
A major project that had a significant impact on Port Lincoln was the Lincoln Cove Marina – from a point of view of residential amenity, safety and convenience.
It would be hard to imagine today’s fishing industry without it, and the stages that have followed, on both land and water, including all the infrastructure and the allied businesses which have grown up around it.
I spent nearly 40 years in local government, during which time significant changes took place and unfortunately, substantially more regulation.
We have certainly enjoyed Lincoln life since 1968, originally thinking the five to six years would see us through, but over the years we found it a wonderful place to bring up our children, and rather than leave, put our efforts into being a part of the community.
This segues into other aspects of Lincoln life, both personal and through community organisations.
Since being in Port Lincoln I have had many interests, and lots of community involvement, from the Royal District Nursing Society, Port Lincoln Yacht Club Sailing Committee, Jaycees, the Navy League, to the Lincoln Auto Club committee.
Currently my interests are in Friends of Southern EP Parks, Southern Eyre Birds, Red Cross Port Lincoln Branch and Lincoln Auto Club.
I enjoyed sailing yachts, particularly in the then Division ll, when I eventually purchased my own. With Shanabi, one of the highlights was winning Division ll in Lincoln Week and the club championship.
Since retirement, Margaret and I have been involved with the ‘Trakmaster’ Caravan Club events including tag-a-long outback trips and adventures.
We have covered most areas of the country, criss-crossing many highways and backroads of the Australian continent.
We have towed a caravan for nearly 150,000km and spent the equivalent of three years sleeping in our vans.
Both of us have always enjoyed cars, and over the years have had too many – mainly Fiats, Alfa Romeos, Renaults, and VWs in the earlier years, and of course, various 4WDs to tow the vans. Over the last 30 years, I have always had MGs, (five different models) in the garage.
After retirement, I restored a 1952 MG TD that I imported from the USA.
It was a very time-consuming effort stripping it back to bare chassis and totally rebuilding it over many years.
Our family is spread about a bit, with Abigail currently living in Sydney with her family and three children.
Shane is in Port Lincoln with his family and two children, and he works in the tuna fishing industry.
Finally, some of our Rotary involvement. I joined the Rotary Club of Port Lincoln on February 23, 1978 – over 45 years of membership and I have held many positions from president, secretary, committee chairman and various others.
I believe the highlight of my time was the privilege of serving on the District 9500 Rotary Youth Exchange Committee for 15 years with Margaret.
Back in the day we used to send out 25 to 38 students every year from our district. Now it is down to five if you’re lucky; my oh my, haven’t times changed?
On the committee Margaret and I were responsible for student exchanges to Scandinavia, both incoming and outgoing students, some 11 or so each year.
For nine years I was the committee’s inbound student coordinator, having to place all the students with hosting clubs in the district.
Margaret and I were awarded a plaque for our efforts.
Fortunately, the council allowed me to use the photocopier as these were the days of the papered society, not the paperless one we have today. Reams and reams and lots of cartridges. Wow.
During all that time, because of the extreme administrative workload the RYE Committee had nine to 10 meetings per year, all in Adelaide, so travel each month had to be considered.
This was apart from the mandatory meetings with outbound students and parents to prepare them for their exchanges, and welcoming all the inbound students and their host club counsellors, etc.
We are both proud to have received Paul Harris Fellowship Awards for our service to the district and the club, me in 1994 and especially Margaret in 1997.
During my time in Rotary there have been some significant changes.
I am sure that some past members would turn over in their graves if they knew that we operated without a president or that we do not meet weekly anymore.
We do not count attendance, nor do makeups with other clubs as we used to.
Coats and ties were the order of the day then, with no alcohol with the meal.
As with most aspects of life these days, changes are necessary to fit in with society.
It is good to see an invigorated Rotary Club in Port Lincoln now, which I am sure will contribute, and support our community long into the future.
I hope the club continues to support projects that are outside the box, and those that are presented to the club informally as a ‘seed’ until they eventually come to the board and are formally accepted.
Over many years these examples have come to fruition. For instance; Compass Farm egg sales which, with the club’s continued support, has evolved into the recently completed ‘Sime Sarin Memorial Shed’, plus the ground developments for the Bedford Group at Ravendale.
Then there are the various mental health and youth projects, and the future plans for Puckridge Park, which our club curated over many years – and even the old Centenary Oval grandstand that was remembered when I first joined Rotary.
I look forward to my continued involvement in the club, and with the lasting friendships both Margaret and I have made over time.
