Bertram Leonard Gard

When Bert was ten years old the family settled in Bellerive where the brothers continued to enjoy life. On one occasion they put together a billycart and piled into it (including Neil who was still too young to talk). They set off at the top of the hill but were unable to stop when they reached the crossroad so had to swerve and cause a rollover. Three boys were scratched and bleeding, one baby brother unconscious. They trudged home towing Neil in the billycart and as Mum was not home, dug a hole to bury him. Fortunately she arrived in time to rescue Neil and get him going again. From that time on billycarts were forbidden. This was just one of the many escapades that took place. Bert's brother Jim developed rheumatic fever when he was eight and spent many weeks in and out of hospital until he passed away at eighteen years of age.

Bert started work at the end of last school term in 1941. He worked in a butcher's shop, then a grocery and delicatessen, before moving on to a large department store. In 1943 he enlisted in the Air Force and was sent to Point Cook for training, however he was soon sent home after the officer in charge discovered his birth certificate had been changed, I wonder who did that ? He then joined the Navy, choosing to enter as a Steward and went to England on the HMAS Australia. After six weeks the war in the Pacific ended, he was drafted to HMS Suffolk and set sail for Australia. On arrival the twenty Tasmanians on board were sent home to HMAS Huon in Hobart and treated like heroes. Bert felt the need to return to sea, so applied for a sea draft and was off to sea two days later on a corvette — HMAS Deloraine. After teaming up with HMAS Swan and HMAS Townsville, the three ships headed for Sydney where they were fitted out with mine sweeping gear. From Brisbane they sailed to Rabaul, and using divers, managed to find a total of 76 mines in the areas of Rabaul and Kavieng. These mines were cut loose by divers, allowed to drift to shore where they were blown up.

On returning to Sydney Bert applied for a discharge and returned to Hobart, only to decide that navy life was the life for him. About fifteen months later, during which time he met his future wife, Betty in Melbourne, Bert was drafted to the destroyer HMAS Quiberon. This trip as far as Port Lincoln. When he returned to Melbourne he and Betty were married. Soon after that he left the navy.

For six years he worked for Steele & Co. as a salesman. During this time, on the 15th of June 1948, Betty & Bert's daughter Karren was born. The family then spent about four months in Tasmania before returning to Melbourne and Steeles. In 1950 he bought a small home in Mt. Evelyn and began selling timber and hardware, It was here he began his first job as a truck driver, which became his main occupation during the rest of his working life.

Over the years however, he tried several ways of earning a living including selling carpets, fluorescent lights, timber and hardware, managing a refrigerated food business, helping his family to operate a guest house and working in a fishing tackle shop. He always returned to trucking and was the owner of a refrigerated truck for many years before retiring in 1988.

In 1980 he married Mary and they lived in Thornbury. In 1988 they moved to Ulladulla where Bert joined the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol. He thoroughly enjoyed his involvement and was saddened when ill-health and climate caused him to move to Bairnsdale.

Not long after arriving in Bairnsdale, he joined the University of the Third Age in which he participated until ill-health prevented him from attending. He did enjoy one more sea voyage through a contact of his daughter Karren. In 1998 he flew to Queensland and came down the coast with his friend Keith Rankin on board "The Mandalay", now a pleasure cruise boat moored at Station Pier. Despite having left school at an early age, Bert continued to gain knowledge until the end of his life by keen observation of his surroundings, reading the paper, doing crosswords and of course, there was always a book within reach. He had a keen sense of humour and used many witty sayings.

When Bert & Mary had settled into their home here they worked hard to establish a garden. Bert's interest never waned and when he was well enough, he would go for a walk, taking his oxygen with him. Right up until his last days, he was gathering seeds and cuttings to be planted by Mary if he couldn't do it. He inspected the shadehouse when he came home after being hospitalized for a month in Dec./Jan. Things weren't up to scratch. He told Mary that she had done a good job everywhere else but not down there, the pots had weeds in them!

Bert was a skilled handyman, something broken or not working properly presented a challenge. He would attempt to repair anything and usually succeeded. His shed contained all types of tools plus things that might come in handy one day. He could send Mary to get something he needed and describe its exact location, if she failed to find it at first she was given further instructions, and of course it was there all the time, she should have looked properly in the first place!

His happy, gregarious nature made it easy for Bert to make friends "life was to be enjoyed", despite his failing health. He knew, however, that time was running out and was ready to sail off into the sunset, free of pain at last.

Source: Mary Gard