Rowney Family Tree

The following was written by Fred ROWNEY and delivered at Jack's funeral:

"My father was small of stature, but larger than life. Throughout his long life he maintained a good sense of humour. He would tell a story or quote a saying or a poem at the drop of a hat and even in his last weeks was entertaining hospital staff. He liked to be active, and expected others to join him, ...whether they wanted to or not.

"He was proud of the fact that he was Australian and detested what he called "Yankee hooey". You didn't refer to 'guys' in my father's hearing, they were blokes, and dollars were certainly not bucks. Dad insisted that all people coming to Australia should speak English. He wasn't concerned with being politically correct, and he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He hated smoking, but enjoyed a drink and was always going to win the big prize in Tattslotto. However, unlike many men, he loved shopping and he was the one who wrote the letters in the family. My mother would sometimes add a paragraph or two at the foot of dad's letter. We still have many of his letters, written when they were travelling, and they are gems. If ever we get around to putting them together they would make a very funny book.

"When Jack Roderick Frank ROWNEY was born, on 30th September 1906, he was the youngest of the family. His brothers and sisters were, Lil, who was then 12; Dick, 14; Harry, 19, and May 22. His parents, my grandparents, had been married in South Australia in 1880, and the first two children had been born in that state. The others, including dad, were all born at Caulfield. My grandfather, Ted, had come to Caulfield because of his expertise with horses and he cared for the horses and drove the first Horse Trams in the Caulfield area. Dad told me that he remembers his father entertaining well known owners, jockeys and trainers in the backyard of 27 Masters Street, with freshly cooked mussels, no doubt washed down with copious amounts of beer.

"Dad had a great love of sport, typified by this story from his childhood. He was sent to the London Tavern pub to bring home a billy of beer. However on the way back he came across some kids playing cricket and naturally joined in - forgetting the beer completely - until his father came looking for him. He got a hiding for that, but he never lost his love for cricket.

"Dad decided that he had had enough of school so he went to town and found himself a job at a picture framers. He was sent to deliver a framed picture to someone at a business in the city, however, on the way he managed to break the glass and he was so late getting to the destination that the person concerned had gone home. Dad says, he propped the picture against the wall and went home to Caulfield - to another hiding - and was sent back to school.

"He left school at 14 and after a number of jobs, all of very short duration, served his apprenticeship as a Fitter and Turner at McIlwraiths. They sacked all their apprentices when they came out of their time, so dad went off to find another job. He eventually went to John.B. ARNOLD, where they asked him if he played cricket. Receiving an enthusiastic YES, he worked there for many years, especially enjoying playing in the AUSTOX Cricket team. At various times dad had, his brother Dick, and his nephews Len, Ray and Jack working with him. He was a great inventor of nicknames, many of them have stuck throughout people's lives. Len GRAY became 'Nevvy', in fact I think Dad had Nevvy No1., Nevvy No2. & Nevvy No 3. Len tells me that when he served in the army during the second world war alongside a bloke who had worked with him at J.B.Arnold, Len became known as Nevvy throughout his army days, and he tells me that he still gets letters addressed to Mr N GRAY, rather than Mr L. GRAY. I know dad was called "Lardy" in some circles, and is still occasionally called "Nimbus". I'm sure he had other names, not all of them printable.

"He married my mother, Edna, or Millie, in 1931 and I was born the following year. There were no other children. The Great Depression was at its peak and times were tough, though dad was fortunate enough to work right through the depression years.

"He most often referred to me as Goodge when in family situations. When our first child, was born he didn't want to be known as grandpa, or grandpop. He came up with something else, but Karyn couldn't pronounce it, so she called him Panky, and he was known as Panky by family and friends to the end of his days.

"During World War 2 Dad worked firstly in the munitions factory and later in the Department of Aircraft Production. I remember him telling us that as a foreman at the munitions factory, in the event of an air raid, he was supposed to make sure all the staff were in the trenches, lock the door and then follow them. Those of you who know dad can guess the rest. He said, "I know who'll be first in the trenches!" (expletives deleted)

"After the war, dad was employed for some time on Flinders Island in Bass Strait. An ex airforce pilot had purchased two Avro Ansons to fly crayfish from Flinders Island to Melbourne, and return with fruit and vegetables to the island. Dad became his agent on the Island. He would be away for long periods, but often would come home with a sugar bag full of live crayfish, which he would cook for all to enjoy. He left that job after one of the planes crashed, and worked for a while for an engineering company close to home. In 1947 dad joined General Motors Holden, he worked firstly at Fisherman's Bend as an inspector, and, when the company built the Dandenong factory, he moved there as a purchasing officer where he continued until his retirement in 1970.

"Whilst at GMH he bought his first (post-war) car - a black 6 cylinder, 14 HP Vauxhall Senior, and so began a love for new cars and travelling. From the first model Holden he had virtually every model through to the HZ. On some of the early models he added almost every extra available, and then had the rocker cover and the air cleaner chrome plated. He loved to pull into a Service Station asking the attendant to check under the bonnet, and enjoying the facial expression when he found what looked like a fully chrome plated engine.

"We had some great holidays, camping and later staying at hotels. Later still, he and mum developed a love for caravanning. Mum and dad found Surfers Paradise to be the place they enjoyed best. This was before it became as commercial as it is now. They moved to Mt Eliza just before retirement, but soon set off travelling again through Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales , Northern Territory and Queensland. During their longest trip, travelling from Darwin across the top to the east coast, they had pulled up out side a pub (where else) in Camooweal. Dad walked around the caravan to check everything and collapsed with heart pains. He was rushed off to Mt Isa Hospital. This was the first indication of a problem which led to a heart valve replacement when he was 76.

"As I said before, Dad loved his sport. He was a runner, a footballer, a cricketer, and in later life a bowler. He was proud of the fact that he was a founder of a football club As the story goes, dad was playing cricket and football with the Bambra Road Church of Christ teams. One night after football training, the Church of Christ minister came into the dressing room and told the players that unless they came to church next Sunday they would be barred from the team. These were fighting words to dad and he and others formed the Caulfield City Football Club. He served the club as captain, treasurer, and later as president. I well remember the football club committee meetings, sometimes held in our front room. I also remember the "Footy Doubles" They were a great fund raiser. Dad would bring them home to be shuffled. His method was to bring the whole lot into the kitchen, throw them into the air and then we would go around and pick them up.

"Dad was keen that his son should play a sport, but I showed no aptitude for cricket or football. I was the timekeeper for Caulfield City for a while, but dad could see that I liked running. He wrote to the Melbourne Harriers Club and I was enrolled as a member. Before dad became a professional runner he and his brother Dick had competed for the club. Even my mother had competed for the Melbourne Women's Harriers. I will be forever grateful to my father for that action. I spent almost 25 years of enjoyable competition with the Melbourne Harriers. Dad said every young bloke should play a sport and learn a trade. Unlike my father I showed no great aptitude for any trade. Although I went to a Technical School, my best subject was English.

"Dad always had a great love for the family. After a couple of family funerals he decided that it wasn't good enough to only meet relatives at weddings and funerals, so he invented the Rowney Family Picnic. These picnics are fondly remembered by family members, and continued until dad & mum moved to the Gold Coast to live. Apart from the usual picnic activities, dad would line up all the kids to sing a song. The prize was a lolly. Without these occasions many family members would never have got to know one another. For those who didn't know my father you must understand that when dad took a lead he expected everyone to follow. If you didn't take up the call quickly, his expression was "buffet closed". In other words ... Times up!

"Since my mother died in 1991, Dad has been quite lonely at times. He gave the impression of having a tough exterior, but in reality he could be quite emotional. I will always remember the two of us weeping on one another's shoulders at the hospital on the day mum died. He filled a lot of his time after this by travelling into Frankston on the bus, or walking over to BILO, indulging in his favourite occupation (next to eating), shopping.

"We have tried to bring together some of these thoughts with the items on the table A Collingwood beanie; his cricket trophy for the 1929/30 B grade bowling average; a pennant from the 1940 premiership season of Caulfield City Football Club and ..... what else but a bag of lollies.

"I have always had a great respect for my father. You will have gathered from what I have said, that we were quite un-alike in many ways, but we shared many things. I'm not the story teller that dad was, but I do enjoy a laugh. We would often quote the same sayings or poems. For instance, when dad was travelling to work by tram, he learned by heart the words on the brass plate above the tram drivers door and we could recite together, "It is the conductor's duty to issue a ticket for every fare taken and to punch the same upon issue in the space denoting the starting point of the section or sections in respect of which the fare is paid." Or the ditty written by Sir John Betjeman, (Poet Laureate at the time). "Here I sit, alone and sixty, bald and fat and full of sin. Cold the seat and loud the cistern, as I read the Harpic tin."

"Dad, you always claimed that you didn't win best and fairest, but worst and dirtiest. But you had a saying pasted inside your work case when you worked for DAP. It said, "When the great scorer comes to write against your name, he writes not that you won or lost, but how you played the game." You made no claim to any religious faith, but to the best of my knowledge you played the game of life in a way that always helped rather than hindered people and endeared you to many, especially your family. Shop keepers, bus drivers, people walking their dogs, will all miss you. We all love you, and your memory will live on for as long as "Good old Collingwood forever" is sung. 'Bye Panky, ........... 'buffet closed'!"

This was written by Karyn (Jack ROWNEY's Grandaughter) and spoken by her at Jack's funeral service:

"Panky was my hero. I loved him very much. As the first grandchild I reckon I got the best. My little blue car with my name on the bonnet, our backyard play equipment, my first bicycle all came from Nanna and Panky.

"Awesome memories of early morning beach visits wading out to find mussels, walking Ziggy and Dumpy and saying g'day to all the dogs in the neighbourhood.

"Panks special beer batter potato cakes, his secret sausage roll recipe, uncle Jack pie. Cards and letters with special poems by Pank, stories of his latest exploits, and newspaper clippings of his moments of fame.

"He talked to anyone, everyone knew Jack. My friends adored him. His irreverant humour and sage advice - things I will never forget that have become part of what I am. He was my confidant in my teenage years and a constant in my life.

"It seemed impossible for a man full of so much life to ever die.

"I chose the bit out of the bible saying it's better to go to the house of mourning because it's times like now that we think about our ultimate destiny. Panky did and although he was concerned that he wouldn't have any mates in heaven, I reckon he realised that Jesus is a good bloke. He understood that God doesn't need religion, he wants relationship - something Pank could do.

"Panky went peacefully saying "tell them I'm all right". He never did anything peacefully if he wasn't ready to do it. I reckon he made his peace with God.

"I'll look out for him when I get to heaven. Aawaa Panky."