Page 19 - Living Gems Thrive | April 2023

“I received ‘callup’

papers to be at RAAF
Station Amberley on

10 December 1951. I
was two weeks away

from turning 18.”

Family obligations saw him retire
from the RAAF in 1974 with over
23 years of service under his belt.
During those years he had dragged
his wife and sons all around eastern
Australia and he also served in
Malaya during the Indonesia-
Malaysia Confrontation between
1963 and 1966.

“We owned a house in Canberra, and
before we even had TV. I spent years later, I still can’t!” I was quite happy to remain in the
almost three days on a steam train RAAF, but my sons were about to
finally arriving in Melbourne in early Several months had passed and leave school and my mother was in
May,” says Neil. “It was raining (as Neale was at East Sale in Gippsland ill health, so we packed our bags and
always), and it was colder than I’d where it was even wetter and colder came to live on the Gold Coast, in
ever experienced. than Melbourne, with frosts like he’d Southport, prior to building our own
never before seen.
“When I changed to a domestic train home at Coombabah where we lived
for the last leg of my journey, I got “I made a lot of friends, enjoyed life, for 36 years,” Neale says.
off at the wrong station and had to played all sorts of sports, and did a “We moved into our Living Gems
carry my kit bag for a couple of miles bit of serious drinking. But I met my home in Coombabah in 2017, and it
in pouring rain and cold weather. I beautiful future wife in that time, to has proved to be an excellent choice.
have never forgiven Melbourne for whom I have now been married for We love living here, but I'll never
my welcome,” says Neale. “Some 70 66 years.” forget my time in service.”

livinggems.com.au April 2023 19