Father's Day

Dad as a school boy

Dad as a at Hornsby  around 33 years

Dad & Harry early1940
 

 

 Dad & Harry  at Terrigal 1990's

Dad feeding his beloved lorikeets Terrigal

This is my father Don.

I bought some yellow jonquils and purple orchards & took them to the cemetery.  It was so crowded  as if there were a 100 funerals taking place.  Decided on the way home to scan in more of Dad's photos  And list all the things why I am grateful too my father.

He was a strong, genuine, intelligent man, with high moral fiber.   An authoritarian with a strict, ideals.  He put his family's welfare before his own, he worked incredible hard and faced huge obstacles & difficulties, he never complained, and never tasted the fruit of all his hard work.  He never indulged himself with the rewards of this labour, but willing gave it to my mother and I.  My father provided extremely well for my mother and I, much more than I ever imagined.  I was never really sure I would be left anything.  He told me after making out his last will, that his third of the company would go to my mother and not be divided between my mother & I.   I unfortunately took that personally, believing he never loved or trusted me.

I thought he never made anything easy for me, I always had to work hard for what I wanted, unlike my girlfriends who were given things they wanted.  But it is this very issue that I am most grateful and indebted to him.  I never take things for granted, I do not have a feeling of entitlement, & if something does comes my way, I am thrilled and very appreciative.  I am  65 years and I still feel elated when something is easy for me.  That is a wonderful gift to be given; as it last all your life.

He had a keen 'bullshit' detector and summed people up quickly, accurately & precisely.  Brutaly honest at times which would up set me, but my father knew so much more than I ever will, people could not deceive, or trick him, outwit him or dazzle him with new information.  He worked things out for himself and always knew exactly what was what.  This ability was intrinsic & innate in him, which infuriated me, as I was always wrong and couldn't understand why.  Life has taught me I am gullible & naive easily manipulated & manoeuvred to do what others want.

He had an inborn love of animals (which I inherited), and was very patient & understanding with them taking all the time they needed to be trained, but it was 'tough love'  Buster had to learn not to chase cars for his own good, and it was similar with me.  I had to learn what was right and wrong and not get the two mixed up.  



Dad and Buster at French's Forest

 

 

Dad in Second Class front  row, 3rd from the right.

He liked men company, after being brought up by two dotting women he married and got another        two women. He loved cars and mechanical things, built racing cars, and raced them. himself.   He loved the country, land & country life and it was always his pipe dream to have a pig farm with horses and cows, dogs,