My father Kevin Chuck was born in Goulburn, “that sunny town near Canberra”, but still Cootamundra remained always the place he loved most and he never ceased to enjoy talking about the time he and the family spent there.
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A truly wonderful father to me, my brother Peter (deceased 2000), and husband to Pat (dec 2008) passed away peacefully on Friday 22 June 2018. Kevin, until a few short months ago was still living in his own home in Port Macquarie, driving everywhere, the independent man he had always been.
Unfortunately, following an operation on an abscess on his lower leg simply didn’t heal and resulted in him spending the past months trying to regain the mobility that he had enjoyed. During this process of recovery, more serious health matters arose.
Needless to say many in Cootamundra particularly would have plenty of memories of Kevin from his days playing football and later from him and Pat’s time at the Cootamundra Hotel.
Dad certainly didn’t show much interest in the technology available to us today except to ask me on many occasions “what’s going on in the phone thing of yours’’ to which he was referring to the Cootamundra Remembers Group Page on Facebook.
He enjoyed immensely hearing about the news from the town and seeing all the old photos etc. It was on occasions a cause for a few hearty discussions especially when it came down to street names, who was working at the Hotel Coota, and who was doing what and when. It was all wonderful!
Kevin was born in Goulburn, March 1923, and finished his schooling relatively early like lots of kids of the time. He worked on the railway as did other members of his family, including his father who was a steam train driver. The Second World War began and Dad served for four years both in Australia and overseas with the Air Force.
On returning to Goulburn at the end of the War it was back to the trains. In 1947 he moved to Cootamundra where he was absorbed into Rugby League seeing over 300 first grade games in the local region Maher Cup. This was something he was totally proud of and would talk what seemed at times endlessly about his period with the football, the wins, the losses, and all his team mates. I’ve only days ago come across a terrific piece of memorabilia that Dad had meticulously kept safe - a Souvenir Programme for the match between St. George and Cootamundra that was played at Fisher Park, 14 September 1949.
Somewhere in between the Trains and the Rugby he met our beautiful Mother Pat (née Hardy) and they were married in April 1949 in Cootamundra. A good number of years later there was a fairly big shift for Kevin and Pat (and us kids) when they took over Coota Hotel. They both loved and thrived during this time as proprietors of the pub. We did as well, we could drive Dad’s V8 Valiant around and around in our very big back yard!
The next stop was Bourke where they bought the first Hotel/Motel in the town. I remember Dad telling me that the winter in Bourke was far colder than Goulburn (now Kevin never exaggerated) - that equated to him having to get out of his shorts and into long pants. Quite unheard of!
Following eight years in Bourke it was time for what was to be the final move. Port Macquarie beckoned where Kevin and Pat owned holiday flats at Flynns Beach before retirement to Lighthouse Beach in the early 1980’s.
Kevin was a strong and independent man which no doubt served him well to his grand age. He never complained and just kept on trying harder and harder to get better and back into his home and in the car.
There is no doubting that we all know of people who are thoughtful and utterly selflessness but I would have to claim that my father Kevin was right up there among them. A totally devoted man to his family who did everything possible to ensure we had everything for the start in life we would need and beyond. Only a few days before before he died he told me that he ‘’would stand on his head for me’’. So true! I did however hasten to interject and suggest that he best not try that trick just right now.
I’ve been very fortunate and I’m in no way complacent of the fact that Dad was a prominent force in my life as the ever thoughtful and giving person he was. Throughout my own career since leaving Cootamundra in 1969 I worked away for many years at a time and therefore remain so acutely thankful of the opportunity I’ve had in recent years living in Port Macquarie and being so close to Dad and sharing some, I stress just some, of his busy days.
God speed Dad, you were so much loved, still are, and will be forever.
