Rowney Family Tree

Jack's birth was registered in Warracknabeal (Vic), but he was born and raised around Hopetoun (Vic), where his parents had a farm at Dattuck (Vic). Jack's family upgraded their home at Dattuck soon after his birth.

Jack attended state school for 7ư years, reaching the eighth grade, and obtaining his merit certificate in 1930.

As a young man Jack helped his parents with their farm, and later, when his father began taking out contract work with the State Rivers, Jack and his brothers were usually lending a hand. The channel work was hard, and they had to move around a lot, but the boys rarely made anything out of it. His Army service records indicate that Jack had been working as a contractor for about 6 years prior to his enlistment in 1941.

Jack served in the Army during the Second World War. He enlisted (No. V64516) on 1 Apr 1941 at Horsham (Vic), and was taken on strength of the 7th Battalion at Seymour (Vic) on 3 May 1941. He gave his parents' place of residence as Horsham at that time. In 1941, 7th Battalion was a Militia (CMF) unit, unable to serve outside of Australia and its immediate environs. The war was confined to Europe and the Middle East at that time, so it appears that Jack was released on leave without pay at the end of July 1941, probably after completing his 90 day basic training at Nagambie Road, near Seymour. He was back in camp at Balcombe (Vic), on the Mornington Peninsula (Vic), in December of 1941. Then in January 1942, Jack was granted harvest leave from Balcombe. During this period after his enlistment, Jack worked at an oil depot at Murrumbeena (Vic) in Melbourne (Vic), while away from the Army.

While he was on harvest leave Jack was also married, in Warracknabeal to Gladys McLEAN, on 29 Jan 1942. Jack was then 23 years old, and Glad was aged 17. Glad was originally from Tempy (Vic), but she had been living with her sister's family and working at the Herbert Adams bakery in Richmond (Vic) at the time. After their marriage Glad moved into a house in Warracknabeal with Jack's sister Jin. Jin had a daughter, Pat, and her husband Bill DUTTON was also away in the Army. Glad gave birth to a daughter, Pam, during this time. After the war, Jack and Glad purchased the old house in Warracknabeal, for £500, using a low interest, deferred payment plan then available to servicemen. Glad is still living in the very same house today.

As the Japanese had entered the war, and had begun threatening Australia from the north, Jack was called up for full-time service on 4 Feb 1942 and served continuously thereafter until his discharge in 1946. On 19 Feb 1942 the 7th Battalion was entrained at Spencer Street Station in Melbourne en route to the Northern Territory, where it would be employed guarding Lines of Communication (LOC). They transferred to 3 ton trucks of the AASC at Alice Springs (NT), with 18 men per vehicle, to continue the journey to Noonimah (NT), south of Darwin (NT). The wet was in full swing when they finally arrived at their new quarters. This was also the period when the Japanese were regularly bombing Darwin, and the invasion scare was at its height.

In January 1943, Jack was hospitalized for a week in Adelaide River (NT) with a kidney complaint.

Jack enlisted in the AIF on 4 Mar 1943 at Adelaide River and was issued with a new service number VX135071. He gave his place of residence at that time as Warracknabeal. As a volunteer, Jack was now eligible to serve overseas wherever required. Most of the 7th Battalion personnel volunteered for service overseas at this time, so the entire unit was redesignated as 7th Battalion AIF. This unit should not be confused with the regular 2/7 Battalion of the AIF.

On 12 Jun 1943 Jack was again hospitalized at Kahlin Fortress Camp Hospital (No. 107 AGH) due to a minor shrapnel wound on his right forearm, obtained as the result of an accident involving a hand grenade. On 23 Jun 1943 he was transferred to the No. 121 AGH in Katherine (NT), where he remained until 2 Jul 1943, when he returned to duty.

In October 1943 the 7th Battalion was transferred to the LOC Zone in Victoria. They were encamped at Watsonia Barracks (Vic). The following month the unit was railed up to the LOC Zone in North Queensland, where it began intensive training on the Atherton Tablelands (Qld). In April 1944 Jack and his battalion were embarked at Cairns (Qld) aboard the 'SS Duntroon' and sailed to Lae in Papua New Guinea, arriving in early May. In October 1944 the unit was shipped from Lae to the Treasury Islands, where they appear to have been stationed until around May 1945. Jack was promoted to acting corporal in February 1945. On 7 May 1945 Jack was shipped to Torokina, on the island of Bougainville, where he arrived on 10 May 1945. His rank of corporal was confirmed on 17 May 1945.

The 7th Battalion was engaged in combat on Bougainville during May to August of 1945 as part of the 23rd Brigade in the Australian 3rd Division. Jack was serving with 14 Platoon, in "C" Company. 14 Platoon appears to have been involved in heavy fighting in July, incurring some of the battalion's relatively few killed and wounded. Jack's mate, Private Ron KEOGH, was wounded in action on 10 Jul 1945. It is not clear whether Jack was still in the front lines himself at that time. From his service record, it seems that he was flown back to Cairns either at the end of May or the end of June in 1945. He seems to have been debilitated with an infected foot around the end of May, and he may have been evacuated to Australia at that time. On 6 Aug 1945, on the day the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima, Jack was embarked again, aboard the 'Westralia', sailing from Brisbane (Qld) back to Torokina, where he arrived 5 days later, on 11 Aug 1945. The ceasefire came into effect on 15 Aug 1945, and a couple of weeks later Japan surrendered, formally ending the war on 2 Sep 1945.

Jack was briefly transferred to 9th Battalion in October 1945, remaining there for a week, before returning to the 7th Battalion. On his return he was shipped to the nearby island of Fauro where he was employed for several months guarding Japanese POWs. On 22 Dec 1945, Jack was transferred to 27th Battalion, then shipped back to Torokina, for repatriation to Australia. He disembarked in Sydney (NSW) on 3 Jan 1946, and began the demobilization process the following day. Jack was finally discharged from the Army in Melbourne on 9 Jan 1946 with the rank of Corporal. He was recorded as still serving with the 7th Battalion AIF at that time.

After returning from the war, Jack resumed his contracting work with the State Rivers for a time, and over the next few years, he and Glad added four more children to their family. Some years later Jack began working as a plasterer for the Classic Fibro Company, which was located in Anderson Street, Warracknabeal. The small company employed about 5 workers and was owned by the HANSBERRY family. After Jack had been there for a number of years, the owner Mr. HANSBERRY died, and his gregarious wife, Fanny, encouraged Jack to buy the business. Jack became the company manager, Glad took over the book keeping, and their son John was by then also working for the business. Unfortunately they really did not have the experience or capital to keep the business afloat while they established themselves, and after some setbacks they had to close the doors.

Jack was greatly upset by the collapse of the business, and they had a difficult few years getting back on their feet. Jack had been a bit impetuous in taking on the business, and he felt the consequences deeply. Glad was able to revive her baking skills at DUNGEY's cafe in Warracknabeal, and John's wife, Kaye, was also able to get work there. Jack was out of work for many years afterwards, and his health was beginning to fail, as chronic emphesema took hold.

After some years, Glad had taken on the job of managing the canteen at the Warracknabeal High School, which is located directly opposite their house. She learned that they were seeking to hire a cleaner, and Jack was able to get this job. He worked there until his retirement.

Jack was a quiet man, who largely kept things to himself. He was a keen fisherman and punter, and he loved sport in general, especially cricket and football, which he played enthusiastically as a young man, and watched avidly in later years. He was also involved in the administration of a number of Warracknabeal's sporting teams and clubs. He was a committed supporter of the RSL, and was president of the local branch for two terms in 1971 and 1972. He was also a member of the Masonic Lodge. Jack was always, above all, a devoted family man.

Jack's health declined progressively over the years, largely due to his work in dusty conditions, and his heavy smoking, especially in later years. He was unable to obtain a full war incapacitation pension from veterans affairs, but he was eventually able to successfully organize for Glad to receive war widow's benefits after his passing.

Jack died in the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital in 1990, at the age of 71.