Vale Keith Dixon: children share their memories of dad

Dad was born in Eugowra in December, 1931.

The fourth of six children; Frank, Fred, Stan, Dad, Val (all deceased) and Mavis, who has made very special effort to be here with us today. They had a fairly humble start in terms of money but not love and care.

Dad moved to Inglevale at a very young age. He attended Eulimore school for three or four years and then the school closed; or as he put it the school left him, he didn't leave school.

So at 14 years of age and with many men away at the war, he went to work to help with the harvest at Wheeldon's.

He completed a pre-apprenticeship course by correspondence before gaining an apprenticeship at Rural Motors, the Ford dealership.

In July, 1957 Mum and Dad married. He then worked at Vychan Station as a mechanic before moving into Oberon Street where he operated "Auto and Tractor Repair Service" for many years. He also did a mail run and had two small farms on the Canowindra Road.

Mum and Dad had three children, George, Peter and Annette. Today there are eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Dad had a very extensive involvement with the community of Eugowra, particularly through service clubs, organisations and associations.

Later he sold the business and Mum and Dad travelled Australia, first using a panel van, then a small van and finally using bus trips.

He later worked as the gardener at Rosedurnate nursing home in Parkes.

They moved to the small farm "Briar Leigh" off the Orange Road, which was much loved by the grand- children, before moving into Nanima Street.

Dad's battles with cancer date back to 1966. For the majority of his life, he was unaffected but in later years it returned and he fought numerous battles. He never let it rule his life and even in his last years, he lived a full and happy life.

Unfortunately, due to health reasons, they moved into Jemalong Retirement Village only five weeks ago, where Dad passed away.

We would like to thank the staff there for the excellent care and consideration shown to Mum and Dad.

Dad's commitment to community was second to none, and this was recognised in him being awarded the Melvin Jones Award in 2012 for exemplary service to the community.

Dad was heavily embedded in the community and was a member of just about every club and committee in town and when we started pulling together the list of all of the things Dad did in the community, it was hard for us to believe that he juggled so many things with all of us at home... and yet he did because he really valued community and he genuinely really enjoyed giving back.

Looking way back to 1962 Dad was a member of the "back to Eugowra week" committee and was a member of the Railway Jubilee celebrations. But that wasn't enough to keep him busy - he also served on the Board of the Eugowra Memorial Hospital board for 17 years and was a member of the Eugowra Apex club until he turned 40. I can also remember him sitting several terms as President of the Eugowra Central School's Parents and Citizens Association.

Dad enjoyed sport and in his spare time between all of the other clubs and committees he was a part of, he was also a member of the Eugowra Tennis club for many years, a foundation member of the Small Bore Rifle Club and a committee member of the Eugowra Golf Club for a number of years.

The Lions Club was a very part of Dad's life and we are equally as proud of his achievements as he was proud to be a part of Lions. Dad was initially a member of the Forbes Lions club for around 3 years and then served as the President of the Eugowra Lions Interim Club. He was then one of the charter members of the Eugowra Lions Club serving many years and many terms as Service Director, Treasurer and "Tail Twister" and was well known as a poet.

Later in Dad's life he and Mum also dedicated time to Meals on Wheels. They spent many years delivering meals and a chat to people in the community... many of them much younger than themselves.

Although Dad's formal education was limited, he developed a love of poetry and often put pen to paper following an incident or event or reflecting on his life experiences.

Dad enjoyed his tennis, small bore rifle shooting and water skiing.

Always getting the most enjoyment from his participation, whether it be trying to spin the cover off the tennis ball or shenanigans he got up to when skiing.

Dad's commitment to family can only be described as total devotion.

He was the ultimate role model for us as we grew up, leading by example. Nothing came before family, and in combination with Mum, they provided us with every opportunity possible and encouraged us to be the best we could at anything we undertook.

Money wasn't always plentiful but we were always rich because we had a home full of love, support and guidance.

Mum and Dads loving relationship, and marriage of just under 65 years is a testament to the environment they provided for us.

Mum tells us they had heated discussions over the years but they never had any fights.

Dad was our mentor, confidante and ever available sounding board.

George: In Dad's later years he was known as being a slow and careful driver, but this was not always the case.

On a family outing to Parkes, Tristan even remarked that the grasshoppers were not splattered on the windscreen as they had been able spring back off.

This was not always the case and whilst living in Orange he had a Hot Rod that was the fastest thing over a standing quarter mile, west of the Blue Mountains. It was made from a shortened 37 Ford Chassis, big V8, double overhead cams from the USA and minimal body. He decided he had to sell it, as every time he started it up across from the Police Station the Highway Patrol would follow.

On a trip to a dance at Parkes with a number of others, including Billy Howell, as they came over the rise to the Billabong Creek, they were confronted with flood water and logs going past in front of them.

Dad braked as best he could and slammed it into reverse. Billy tells me the gearbox was "jumping up and down at least 2 and half feet, made some awful noises but the car reversed up the slope."

Peter: It has only been in later life that I have come to fully appreciate how clever Dad was in his parenting style. Early on we were given a clip under the ears when we deserved it, well he didn't catch us all the time. But after I turned about 14, Dad basically said, you make your own decisions. He would make sure I was aware of all the facts and possible consequences as we discussed whatever had to be decided.

Because of the respect I had for Dad and never wanting to disappoint him I would invariably end up making the decision that he would have wanted me to make.

But by doing it this way, I felt I had made my own choices. Even in later life I still felt grateful for the opportunity to bounce ideas off him and have the benefit of his wisdom.

Dad never complained about the cards he was dealt, he lived a full life, was content and said to us in his last hours "I have no regrets".

Annette: During my teenage years, a friend was working in the workshop with Dad. He commented to me that Dad was swearing about something in the shed. I truly did not believe him as for the entirety of my father's life he never swore in front of me or any woman.

As a teenager I wanted to buy a car. Dad being a mechanic, I took him along to test drive this beautiful burgundy Torana. It had wide mag wheels, cream interior, a great stereo and a 6 cylinder motor dropped in it.

I had saved the money but Dad did not want me to buy the car. He thought it was too powerful for me and the wide wheels would pull me off the road if I hit a pot hole. This did not deter me. I paid cash and drove it home! I had a wonderful time driving around town with my girlfriends and the stereo up full bore.

I later moved to Sydney, where parking was a premium and I mostly used public transport. So I decided to sell the car. Dad told me to bring the Torana home for a service. So obeying my father I brought the vehicle home only to find that Dad had to remove a choc from under the accelerator. He found a way to enable my dreams but keep me safe! The perfect Dad!