My Dad was raised in Mallee district of north west Victoria. Most of his early years were lived at Quambatook. He was the youngest of his family and at the tender age of six he lost his Mother. He travelled to school each day by horse and buggy along with his brothers Bill, Cyril and Murray and his only sister Lorna. After finishing school he went to live in Melbourne to take up study at Caulfield Tech as it was known then. His mode of transport was a Norton motor bike.
According to the stories passed down he met my Mother whilst walking on St Kilda pier. After a whirlwind romance they were married on 2nd January in 1954. They lived initially at Oakleigh and then at Fern Tree Gully where I was born. It wasn’t long however until they moved to Nar Nar Goon and settled on a dairy farm. My older brother Mark was born at Oakleigh and Greg, Paul and Simon were born at Pakenham. Some eleven years after Simon’s birth Benjamin was born in 1973.
My Dad’s older brother Bill was a Christian and would many times talk to my Dad about the Lord. Eventually my Dad gave his life to the Lord at Belgrave Heights on New Years Day. For many years our family would always go to Belgrave Heights on New Years Day. It was only recently that I realised the significance that place and date had in our family history.
After some seven years on the farm Dad and Mum bought a house at Dandenong and Dad went to work at a factory as a turner and fitter. The work was dirty and the days were long. Finances meant that Dad had to work overtime whenever it was on offer. Later on he went to work at a smaller factory that did balancing.
We attended the Dandenong Baptist Church, which was to have a huge impact in all of our lives. The church was known for its strong evangelical preaching and great hymn singing. We grew up watching Laurie North and Norm Johnson lead the singing at church. The preaching of John Robinson in my teenage years had a life long impact in my life.
Dad served as a deacon and an elder at the church for as many years as I can remember. My brother Simon once wrote a very stirring article about my Dad’s hands and about Sundays which was the only day my Father wore a suit. (I think you can find a link to that article on Simon’s blog page – it’s well worth having a read)
I have many memories of my Dad. He loved fishing, although he was hardly ever able to fish except when we were on holidays. At one stage he got himself a great big surf rod and he would take on our annual holidays to the beach. Dad played golf for quite a number of years and he barracked for Essendon Football club. Occasionally we used to go and see some of the football games as kids.
Dad had a bit of passion for growing vegies. At different times he would experiment with vegie gardens in the back yard. At one time the vegie garden became quite large and productive.
Dad’s faith in God was always very real, but also very down to earth. My parents are both very godly people, but they both have their feet on the ground. Dad would always read the Bible to us around the tea table each night and encourage us all to pray. There were times I can still recall where our family saw quite dramatic answers to prayer.
Dad taught us the scriptures, but also showed us by his constant example how to live as a follower of Jesus. At times Dad did things that, at the time I thought were quite crazy. There was the time that Dad got up and sat with a swaggie who had wandered into our church when others would move away because of the smell. There was the time when Dad went and paid for a dentist bill for a kid at school who my brother Paul had got into a fight with. There was the time we back tracked several miles on a trip to give some money back to a shop where we had been undercharged – despite the person serving being very rude and obnoxious. I could go on. I was not to realise the significance of these events until many years later.
Dad didn’t have a great deal of free time and what time he had needed to be shared around all six of us as well as his responsibilities at church, but Dad did so many things that involved being with his boys. I recall the many barbeques at Churchill Park and the games of hide and seek in the dark. I recall getting a shoulder ride from Dad down to the corner of our street and back.
It was Dad who built my first pigeon loft and once bought timber home from work to build a chook run for me.
It was Dad who repaired the punctures on my bike and fixed anything that broken out in his garage.
• It was Dad who inspired me to go to Bible college and study for the ministry.
• It was Dad who went into bat for me every time I got into trouble.
• It was Dad who came and looked at cars with me after I first got my licence.
• It was Dad who installed the printer for me on first Mac computer when I had no idea what to do.
• It was my Dad who came and worked for days on end on our house at Warrnambool.
On Monday my Dad turns 75 years of age. I won’t be there when the family gathers tomorrow to celebrate the event – but what a milestone it is. When you think of the journey from a little six year old boy out in the Mallee who had just lost his Mum to the man he is today. It’s been an incredible story of faithfulness and commitment to his Lord and to our family. Even as I sit and type these words my Dad is out helping my brother Ben move into a new apartment in Carlton.
This year I celebrate 50 years myself. As Dad often reminds me, I am not that far behind him. I count it a privilege to still have my Dad. Many of my friends around my age have lost their Dad.
Dad is always the one whose phone number I ring when I am facing a major life decision or facing a situation in ministry where I’m not sure what to do. I have been in ministry for 25 years – a milestone in itself that very few seem to make. If you ask me why I have lasted so long and not walked away long ago, I would tell you that it has often been because of the wise counsel of my Dad.
So today I pay tribute to my Dad. Dad has been a constant companion on the journey, a provider of everything we needed, a consistent example of godliness and commitment and a wise counsellor and a good friend. In many ways my view of my heavenly father has been shaped and formed by my own Dad.
Happy birthday Dad. 75 years and look what you have been able to do with those years. If my life is anything at all today, a significant part of credit goes to you Dad. You invested so much of yourself into my life. I'm proud to have you as my Dad.
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