Kenneth Leonard Brown (1930 - 2012)

Born 6 Nov 1930 in Kew, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Avril Joy (Archbold) Lindsay — married 12 Sep 1953 (to about 1974) in Kew East, Victoria, Australia

Husband of Elaine Valerie (Adams) Brown — married 6 Nov 1985 in Kinglake West, Victoria, Australia

Died 12 Feb 2012 at age 81 in Richmond, Victoria, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: David Brown [send private message]

Biography

Ken was born in 1930 at St Georges Hospital, Kew. He had the basinette next to Heather Murdoch (who was born the same day) and Lorna Dawn Campbell (born on the lawn of her house in the early morning four days earlier on the way to hospital, that is why she was called Lorna Dawn) They kept in touch for many years. When they were kids Don Lacey and Ken went off on their scooters to East Kew to the Post office and then not far from Yenkins then to Collingwood and eventually looking for grandpa in Coburg - got lost. Laceys' 1928 Buick somehow picked them up - Never do it again was the instruction! State School was East Kew Central, Corner Cadow St and Beresford Street East Kew Len had a shaving strop that he would use on Ken when needed. Aged 10 - pinched one of fathers cigars - sat on the front lawn and smoked it - he felt sick -UURRRRRP! and then of course had his old friend, the strop applied to his bottom! Ken left school when he was 16 (although he always maintained to his children that he left when he was 14) in 1946 finished 3th form Box Hill High School They were taught how to make gunpowder in science class at school, someone had a bag of brown paper bag of Gunpowder and they decided to put it on the railway line to see what happened when the steam train came. Bang! - it lifted the cowcatcher in the air and it fell back with a huge clank, the kids all headed for the hills. Punishment was to dig up and landscape the hard earth clay playground, it was so hard that you could scarcely get a crow bar into it. The playground became affectionately known as Brown-Wallinga Park. Peter Wallinga went on to become Mayor of Kew. The police were called looking for Japanese spies that had tried to blow up the train!

Ken followed the Carlton Football Club, but didnt go to many games.

Ken went and applied to join the United Bank of Australasia and they accepted him. He worked at Moe and Burwood 1949 Fish Creek, Rosedale, Box Hill 1947, Wycheproof, Yarram, Clunes, Swan Hill Left the bank in 1957, thought children would have a better chance of education staying in Clunes. Ross Constantine was the manager at the time, Jeff Cotterell was manager prior (Jenny Hull was his daughter) In 1940 the junior Ken, took over the bank when the manager was on holidays slept with the gun under his pillow at Box Hill branch. Peter Wallinga came to stay, Ken lost the keysand called the locksmith and changed the locks, police had the keys handed in - NOT a good look to loose the keys to the bank. Ken got a call one morning from his manager politely asking him if he had slept well and what time did he think he would get to work, he replied that he would be there at 9.00am as usual. The manager said "IT IS 9.30 NOW YOU HAVE THE KEYS AND WE CAN"T GET THE BLOODY SAFE OPEN!" While at Moe as a new junior bank officer, he was sent to the Commonwealth Bank down the road to pick up some cash. When he got back he was asked to count it, so he opened the cash bag and tipped out a wad of cut up newspapers - The whole bank staff burst into laughter. -he had been initated!!

Ken was always sorry that he had introduced his sister Muriel to Ron Papworth and they got married - Ron has always been a difficult man and Muriel suffered in silence until his death. Ken always boasted that he had climbed Mt Feathertop. Have you ever seen Mount Feathertop?

Ken and Avril bought a mixed business shop in Fraser Street Clunes, Criterion House in 1958 from Ben Cripps it came with a fruit delivery round. Ken then bought the dairy/milk delivery from Ian Theige when loose milk was overtaken with bottled milk.and swapped with Reg Torney, his house in Bath Street for the shop. They built a new home in 1966 on the corner Bath & Service Streets, Clunes. Most Friday nights there was a card night on at the new home in Clunes. Ken worked afternoons delivering milk in Wendouree (Ballarat) with his faithful horses "Jacko" and "Bill" in the 1960's Avril asked Ken to leave, she wouldn't move to Melbourne and didn't want to stay with Ken anyway.

Ken shacked up with a lady called Sheila at Tom Wickhams home at "Rose Hill" for about a year. The family didn't like Sheila much, she was just too sharp of tongue and a chain smoker, Sheila was born in England and we didn't know her last name.

Ken worked for Lloyds Homes in Ballarat selling reloceatable homes.

He moved to Melbourne and worked as officer in effective control at O M Lavin Real Estate in Glen Iris From there he moved to Capel Real Estate in Dandenong before working for his son David in insurance

David urged Ken to get on with his life and go and meet someone. Where, was the question, the reply was "Parents without Partners" Ken married the secretary, Elaine, who, it seems felt sorry for him as he was dressing very poorly and needed someone - it seems she did too!!

15/4/2009 Ken is bleeding from his bowel and coughing up blood, taken to Epworth and admitted.

16/4/2009 Doctors find a tumour in his aesophaeghus

17/4/2009 The tumour is a cancer

After a wonderful life with Elaine, he passed away in 2012. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Personal recollection of events witnessed by David Brown as remembered 11 Mar 2022.