Gowing, Don Lanchester

1927 - 2017  (90 years)

• Name	Gowing, Don Lanchester
  Born	18 Jan 1927	Roslyn Private Hospital, Lindfield, NSW
  Christened	St Albans Church, Lindfield, NSW
  Gender	Male
  Confirmation	St Albans Church, Lindfield, NSW
  School	1 Jan 1932	Lindfield Primary School, Lindfield, NSW
  School	1938	North Sydney Technical High, North Sydney, NSW
  	North Sydney Technical High was a selective school. In September 1939, Don can remember listening to a radio broadcast at a special school assembly by Prime Minister Menzies announcing that because Britain had declared war on Germany, Australia was now also at war. He was age 12.
  Awarded	1942	Dee Why SLSC, Dee Why, NSW
  	Joined Dee Why Surf Club and obtained his Bronze Medallion. He was age 15.
  Military Enlist	1944	Sydney Show Ground, Sydney, NSW
  	At age 17 Don enlisted in the Australian Air Force. His service number was 169172. He learnt to fly in air force did initial training at Cootamundra and later trained at Parkes and final training at Tocumwal. He started is electrical engineering apprenticeship in the airforce. However the war finished before Don saw active service.
  Employment	1945	Sydney, NSW
  	Don continued his electrical apprenticeship with the Maritime Services Board in Sydney. His father Roy worked for the Board. Don spent a lot of time on the harbour in a boat changing navigation lights and undertaking other electrical work. Don knew Sydney Harbour in all her moods.
  Joined	1945	"Lodge Rememberance", Castlereagh Street, Sydney, NSW
  	At age 18 Don joined the Freemasons with his father Roy following the end of the second world war. Don then proceeded complete the first 32 Masonic degrees without skipping any degree. He reached the degree titled the Knight Kadosh. As there are only 33 degrees within the Masonic Lodge, Don became part of a very select group of people internationally. Don also became the Most Wise Sovereign for the Leeton Masonic Lodge at the age of 25. This required special permission from the earl of Elgin and Kincardine in Scotland due to Don's young age. Don also focused on the degrees relating to the Knights Templar. Don also enjoyed fully recounting the third tracing board, some which was purely from memory and took in excess of an hour. The topic matter related to the building of King Soloman's temple.
  Employment	1949	The Snowy Mountain Scheme, NSW
  	Don was employed by Australian General Electric and at age 22 was seconded to work on the initial surveys for the Snowy Mountain Scheme. This was the time that the location of dams and aqueducts were being planned including the design of the various water levels that were so important to the operation of the overall scheme. He continued this work until early 1950. Don would ride through the mountains on horseback, often through snow to get access to various locations. He knew the Australian mountains in all their moods.
  Employment	1950	"Magnatron Electrical Services", Broken Hill, NSW
  	Don moved to Broken Hill and setup Magnatron Electrical Services. He was age 23 and he bought an old butcher shop in 97 Oxide Street, which he gutted and set it up as a base for the business. At this time it was difficult to get skilled trades people to the west and Don's objective was to become a supplier to the two big companies; North Broken Hill Ltd and Zinc Corporation. Zinc Corporation was building the Rum Jungle facility for the Commonwealth Government. Magnatron hired about a dozen employees at one stage. The work was spread over a large geographical area ranging from Cobar, Tiboburra, Jamestown, Peterburra and Wentworth. This required Don to fly between the sites to manage the jobs and the business. Don would hire a plane from Broken Hill Aero Club. His favorite plane was a Auster J5F Aiglet. During this time Don had the contract to maintain the services to Tiboburra Hospital and the cottage Hospital at Willcania. The services were wide ranging and included electrical, sewerage, water, air-conditioning and plumbing.
  Mentioned	1950	South Australia
  	Back in the 1950's, the then governor of South Australia was Sir John Bonython and his son Kym owned the Rowley Park Raceway (cars) and was one of SA's best known sporting identities. In fact, he was the one who taught me to respect white pointer sharks while he taught me to scuba dive in St Vincent's Gulf, off Adelaide, back in the early 50's. There was no such thing as PADI and most of our diving gear was US army disposals.
  Employment	1952	The Royal Flying Doctor Service, Broken Hill, NSW
  	While in Broken Hill, Don was a volunteer pilot for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He was aged 25. They flew deHavilland Dragon aircraft. Don would fly patients to the following hospitals depending on the injury, the emergency and the current weather conditions including wind speed and direction; Broken Hill Hospital, Parkes Hospital, Cobar Hospital, Tiboburra Hospital and the cottage hospital in Willcania. Don flew for the service for 7 years. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Broken Hill in 1954. Don attended the formal function and met the queen. Don and a few others had the opportunity to "duck out the back of the hall and have a smoke" with Prince Phillip and to also informally show him their aircraft. The aircraft were lined up alongside the Barrier Highway in front of the RFDS headquarters. The police had closed the road to allow the planes to land for the special event.
  Joined	1959	Smiggin Holes, NSW
  	Don was a founding member and a driving force behind the establishment of Muniong Ski Club and the building of the lodge in Smiggin Holes. Muniong Ski Club was initially QANTAS Ski Club, but later separated into a club in its own right. They were pioneers in the setup and built the Muniong Lodge. This was before Thredbo and before the Perisher village. They chose a prime location which is one of the few lodges in the NSW snow where you can ski to and from the lodge. The building of a metal A frame building in the alpine region was quite an engineering feat. The frame was built in Sydney and transported to the snow. The standup of the first two A frames was a dangerous and tricky maneuver as you didn't have the use of cranes. There was a mailbox on the top of Mount Kosciusko and Don would often ride up to clear the mail and take it to the local Post Office. Don was close friends with James McGovern the Superintendent of the Blue Mountains National Park and became very close to the operation of the park. He was personally involved in numerous search and rescue exercises for lost walkers and skiers in the alpine region.
  Moved	1959	Sydney, NSW
  	Don moved back to Sydney from Broken Hill.
  Employment	1962	Sydney, NSW
  	Don (age 35) was on loan from AGE (Australian General Electric) as a engineer to work with "Civil and Civic" as a Electrical Safety Engineer for the early construction of the Sydney Opera House. Civil and Civic where the sole Stage 1 contractor and needed build the foundations and the podium. Hornibrook built the shells. Don was working when the shells where installed and brought together. In the 1790's Bennelong the aboriginal asked Captain Phillip to build him a brick hut on Bennelong Point on which the Opera House is now located. Due to its heritage and historical significance, the foundations of this hut were to be preserved with the construction of the Opera House. Don is very familiar with the construction the Opera House without disturbing this site.
  Possessions	1966	Kurrajong Heights, NSW
  	The first property was at the end of Warks Road. It was 182 ha and was rough country. Don sold this property and purchased "Attunga". Attunga was a beautiful 42ha property having commanding views of the Hawkesbury Valley below and Sydney in the distance. Depending on the air pollution in Sydney you could clearly see the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Attunga also had a lot of fruit trees; oranges, apples and peaches. There are many here today who remember picking oranges and bottling those peaches. There were plans to build and operate intensive piggeries and construction had commenced. The Waterhouse family from horseracing were our neighbours. Don was also Captain of the local Kurrajong Heights bush fire brigade. Sadly Don lost the property in 1976 due to high interest rates and he never recovered financially after this.
  Mentioned	1968	Swansea, NSW
  	Don was involved in a serious car accident. He was age 41. The accident occurred on the Pacific Highway outside the Swansea Police Station with four police offices on the footpath. The other driver was drunk and crossed the double yellow lines to hit Don head on. He was travelling at 60mph in a 30mph zone. This accident greatly effected his life, including preventing Don skiing for many years. Skiing was one of Don's passions.
  Moved	1976	Forster, NSW
  	In 1976, the family moved from Kurrajong Heights to Forster. The family went on a holiday in a camper van and were sold on Forster when they drove over the bridge one day when the water in the lake was beautiful and blue.
  Joined	27 Dec 1978	Cape Hawke Surf Club, Forster, NSW
  	Don was the foundation president of Cape Hawke Surf Club and the driving force behind the start up of the club. Cape Hawke SLSC was formed on the 27th of December 1978 and became affiliated with Surf Life Saving Australia in March 1979. The inaugural office bearers operated the club from a small room of 2 x 3m, which was located at the rear of the current amenities block in Palmgrove Park. A dedicated group of volunteers began patrols using loan equipment from Forster SLSC and Great Lakes Council. Cape Hawke SLSC was the first surf club in Australia to allow ladies to become active members, which lead to the first female Bronze squad being formed in 1981 of which Emma was one. Throughout the years, the club has set the benchmark for the professional but friendly manner in which it has hosted various carnivals: State Bank Spectacular in December 1983 NSW Country Championships in 1985 NSW Country IRB Championships in 1986 NSW Championships in 1989 NSW IRB Championships in 1994
  _MDCL	15 Jun 1996	Cape Hawke Hospital, Forster, NSW
  	Don was diagnosed with colon cancer at Cape Hawke Hospital. He then received chemo treatment at the Mater Hospital for 2 months. He attended sessions 5 days a week for 2 months. His body weight dropped from 12 to 8 stone.
  Employment	2005	Gosford, NSW
  	Wildlife Animal Rescue and Care Society Inc.
  Died	29 Jan 2017	Coffs Harbour Base Hospital, Coffs Harbour, NSW
  Person ID	I0024	Barton Family Tree
  Last Modified	30 Mar 2017

  
  

  Father	Gowing, Roy Lanchester,   b. 29 Jul 1895, Parramatta, NSW ,   d. 8 Jan 1983, Lindfield, NSW  (Age 87 years)
  Mother	Cliff, Rene Mildred,   b. 5 Jan 1898, Balmain, NSW ,   d. 2 Dec 1992, Lindfield, NSW  (Age 94 years)
  Engaged	25 Nov 1915
  Married	8 Oct 1919	St Albans Church, Lindfield, NSW
  Family ID	F0018	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Hibble, Lynette Winston Jean,   b. 29 Sep 1940, Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, NSW ,   d. 8 Apr 2004, "Phillip House", Bronte, NSW  (Age 63 years)
  Married	24 Sep 1971	St Davids Church, Kurrajong Heights, Nsw
  	Their reception was at the Half-Way House in Rouse Hill and they honey-mooned at Norfolk Island.
  Divorced	Yes, date unknown
  Divorced	18 Feb 1987	Forster, NSW
  Children	1. Living
  Last Modified	17 Jul 2010
  Family ID	F0016	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 18 Jan 1927 - Roslyn Private Hospital, Lindfield, NSW Christened - - St Albans Church, Lindfield, NSW Confirmation - - St Albans Church, Lindfield, NSW School - 1 Jan 1932 - Lindfield Primary School, Lindfield, NSW School - North Sydney Technical High was a selective school. In September 1939, Don can remember listening to a radio broadcast at a special school assembly by Prime Minister Menzies announcing that because Britain had declared war on Germany, Australia was now also at war. He was age 12. - 1938 - North Sydney Technical High, North Sydney, Nsw Awarded - Joined Dee Why Surf Club and obtained his Bronze Medallion. He was age 15. - 1942 - Dee Why SLSC, Dee Why, NSW Military Enlist - At age 17 Don enlisted in the Australian Air Force. His service number was 169172. He learnt to fly in air force did initial training at Cootamundra and later trained at Parkes and final training at Tocumwal. He started is electrical engineering apprenticeship in the airforce. However the war finished before Don saw active service. - 1944 - Sydney Show Ground, Sydney, NSW Joined - At age 18 Don joined the Freemasons with his father Roy following the end of the second world war. Don then proceeded complete the first 32 Masonic degrees without skipping any degree. He reached the degree titled the Knight Kadosh. As there are only 33 degrees within the Masonic Lodge, Don became part of a very select group of people internationally. Don also became the Most Wise Sovereign for the Leeton Masonic Lodge at the age of 25. This required special permission from the earl of Elgin and Kincardine in Scotland due to Don's young age. Don also focused on the degrees relating to the Knights Templar. Don also enjoyed fully recounting the third tracing board, some which was purely from memory and took in excess of an hour. The topic matter related to the building of King Soloman's temple. - 1945 - "Lodge Rememberance", Castlereagh Street, Sydney, NSW Employment - Don was employed by Australian General Electric and at age 22 was seconded to work on the initial surveys for the Snowy Mountain Scheme. This was the time that the location of dams and aqueducts were being planned including the design of the various water levels that were so important to the operation of the overall scheme. He continued this work until early 1950. Don would ride through the mountains on horseback, often through snow to get access to various locations. He knew the Australian mountains in all their moods. - 1949 - The Snowy Mountain Scheme, NSW Employment - Don moved to Broken Hill and setup Magnatron Electrical Services. He was age 23 and he bought an old butcher shop in 97 Oxide Street, which he gutted and set it up as a base for the business. At this time it was difficult to get skilled trades people to the west and Don's objective was to become a supplier to the two big companies; North Broken Hill Ltd and Zinc Corporation. Zinc Corporation was building the Rum Jungle facility for the Commonwealth Government. Magnatron hired about a dozen employees at one stage. The work was spread over a large geographical area ranging from Cobar, Tiboburra, Jamestown, Peterburra and Wentworth. This required Don to fly between the sites to manage the jobs and the business. Don would hire a plane from Broken Hill Aero Club. His favorite plane was a Auster J5F Aiglet. During this time Don had the contract to maintain the services to Tiboburra Hospital and the cottage Hospital at Willcania. The services were wide ranging and included electrical, sewerage, water, air-conditioning and plumbing. - 1950 - "Magnatron Electrical Services", Broken Hill, NSW Mentioned - Back in the 1950's, the then governor of South Australia was Sir John Bonython and his son Kym owned the Rowley Park Raceway (cars) and was one of SA's best known sporting identities. In fact, he was the one who taught me to respect white pointer sharks while he taught me to scuba dive in St Vincent's Gulf, off Adelaide, back in the early 50's. There was no such thing as PADI and most of our diving gear was US army disposals. - 1950 - South Australia Employment - While in Broken Hill, Don was a volunteer pilot for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He was aged 25. They flew deHavilland Dragon aircraft. Don would fly patients to the following hospitals depending on the injury, the emergency and the current weather conditions including wind speed and direction; Broken Hill Hospital, Parkes Hospital, Cobar Hospital, Tiboburra Hospital and the cottage hospital in Willcania. Don flew for the service for 7 years. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Broken Hill in 1954. Don attended the formal function and met the queen. Don and a few others had the opportunity to "duck out the back of the hall and have a smoke" with Prince Phillip and to also informally show him their aircraft. The aircraft were lined up alongside the Barrier Highway in front of the RFDS headquarters. The police had closed the road to allow the planes to land for the special event. - 1952 - The Royal Flying Doctor Service, Broken Hill, NSW Joined - Don was a founding member and a driving force behind the establishment of Muniong Ski Club and the building of the lodge in Smiggin Holes. Muniong Ski Club was initially QANTAS Ski Club, but later separated into a club in its own right. They were pioneers in the setup and built the Muniong Lodge. This was before Thredbo and before the Perisher village. They chose a prime location which is one of the few lodges in the NSW snow where you can ski to and from the lodge. The building of a metal A frame building in the alpine region was quite an engineering feat. The frame was built in Sydney and transported to the snow. The standup of the first two A frames was a dangerous and tricky maneuver as you didn't have the use of cranes. There was a mailbox on the top of Mount Kosciusko and Don would often ride up to clear the mail and take it to the local Post Office. Don was close friends with James McGovern the Superintendent of the Blue Mountains National Park and became very close to the operation of the park. He was personally involved in numerous search and rescue exercises for lost walkers and skiers in the alpine region. - 1959 - Smiggin Holes, NSW Possessions - The first property was at the end of Warks Road. It was 182 ha and was rough country. Don sold this property and purchased "Attunga". Attunga was a beautiful 42ha property having commanding views of the Hawkesbury Valley below and Sydney in the distance. Depending on the air pollution in Sydney you could clearly see the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Attunga also had a lot of fruit trees; oranges, apples and peaches. There are many here today who remember picking oranges and bottling those peaches. There were plans to build and operate intensive piggeries and construction had commenced. The Waterhouse family from horseracing were our neighbours. Don was also Captain of the local Kurrajong Heights bush fire brigade. Sadly Don lost the property in 1976 due to high interest rates and he never recovered financially after this. - 1966 - Kurrajong Heights, NSW Mentioned - Don was involved in a serious car accident. He was age 41. The accident occurred on the Pacific Highway outside the Swansea Police Station with four police offices on the footpath. The other driver was drunk and crossed the double yellow lines to hit Don head on. He was travelling at 60mph in a 30mph zone. This accident greatly effected his life, including preventing Don skiing for many years. Skiing was one of Don's passions. - 1968 - Swansea, NSW Married - 24 Sep 1971 - St Davids Church, Kurrajong Heights, Nsw Moved - In 1976, the family moved from Kurrajong Heights to Forster. The family went on a holiday in a camper van and were sold on Forster when they drove over the bridge one day when the water in the lake was beautiful and blue. - 1976 - Forster, NSW Joined - Don was the foundation president of Cape Hawke Surf Club and the driving force behind the start up of the club. Cape Hawke SLSC was formed on the 27th of December 1978 and became affiliated with Surf Life Saving Australia in March 1979. The inaugural office bearers operated the club from a small room of 2 x 3m, which was located at the rear of the current amenities block in Palmgrove Park. A dedicated group of volunteers began patrols using loan equipment from Forster SLSC and Great Lakes Council. Cape Hawke SLSC was the first surf club in Australia to allow ladies to become active members, which lead to the first female Bronze squad being formed in 1981 of which Emma was one. Throughout the years, the club has set the benchmark for the professional but friendly manner in which it has hosted various carnivals: State Bank Spectacular in December 1983 NSW Country Championships in 1985 NSW Country IRB Championships in 1986 NSW Championships in 1989 NSW IRB Championships in 1994 - 27 Dec 1978 - Cape Hawke Surf Club, Forster, NSW Divorced - 18 Feb 1987 - Forster, NSW _MDCL - Don was diagnosed with colon cancer at Cape Hawke Hospital. He then received chemo treatment at the Mater Hospital for 2 months. He attended sessions 5 days a week for 2 months. His body weight dropped from 12 to 8 stone. - 15 Jun 1996 - Cape Hawke Hospital, Forster, NSW Employment - Wildlife Animal Rescue and Care Society Inc. - 2005 - Gosford, NSW Died - 29 Jan 2017 - Coffs Harbour Base Hospital, Coffs Harbour, NSW  = Link to Google Earth
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