| |
|
 |
|
 1912 - 1995 (82 years)
-
| Name |
Noel Emmett Burke |
| Born |
11 Nov 1912 |
Turanga-O-Moana, Waikato, New Zealand  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Occupation |
Dairy Farmer |
| Died |
4 Nov 1995 |
Matamata, Matamata-Piako District, Waikato, New Zealand |
| Buried |
6 Nov 1995 |
Matamata, Matamata-Piako District, Waikato, New Zealand |
| Notes |
- Speech given by Derrick Burke at his Father's Funeral.
Noel has three sons - eight grandchildren - Dad we are all here today.
I?m Derrick, Noels, eldest son. With me is my wife Dorothy, our son Richard and our daughter Janine. Also here is my brother Gary, his wife Marilyn and their daughters Lorelle and Kirsten. My youngest brother Doug is here with his wife Mary, their son Samuel, their daughter Deborah, their son Michael and their daughter Miriam.
That?s the roll call.
Dad was born on 11th November 1912 on the Garland Family Farm at Turanga-o-moana. 83 plus a few weeks he died suddenly on 4th December 1995. The only time Dad was away from Matamata area was a period during the 1940?s.
Dad was the eldest in a family of six children consisting of Noel, Wenna, Glynn, Fenton, Douglas and Arthur.
Dad?s life spanned from the time major technology changes commenced occurring - aircraft were flying - but only just. - Motor vehicles, electricity and radio existed but with no widespread usage.
Through to space travel, people on the moon to the technology we have in the world today.
Listen up all of you grandchildren, nieces and nephews as this is part of your family history - Its some of the life story of an ordinary man who was special to each of us in a different way.
Some of it I may get a little wrong but that?s the way legends are made.
If I get it badly wrong Fenton is prepared to stand and contradict me.
This is the story of the major events that shaped Dad?s life and made him the person we all remember.
We go back to the first 10 years of this century when Dad?s Father, Bob Burke married Nada Garland (my Grandfather and Grandmother).
They were farming somewhere between Tirau and the Mamaku on a place infested with rabbits - the rabbits ate everything in sight including, as the story goes, the green paint off the steps of the house.
Dad?s Father went bankrupt.
Lesson - Dad never borrowed money. If he didn?t have the cash it didn?t happen.
From then on Dad and his family moved frequently to where-ever work was. In those days bankruptcy lasted a life time.
At the end of standard 6 (at age 12/13) Dad left school to earn money.
His first job on his Uncle Normans farm at Cambridge end Taotaoroa Road for 5 shillings a week (that?s 50c per week to those who only understand decimal currency.)
Dad considered himself a man of the land, milking cows and doing general farm work on farms in and around Matamata.
Towards the end of the 1930?s when Dad was in his late 20?s all the family was living in the Tower Property here in Matamata. There are stories of pinecone fights in the Tower, climbing the outside of the Tower using the ivy growing on the outside. The sporting loves of Dad?s life were rugby, racing and golf. Dad played flanker for the Matamata sub union rugby team. Glynn and Fenton were in the same team. They were a pretty capable outfit that won the Waikato sub union competition 2 years in a row. While at the Tower, World War Two broke out. Dad remembers all the family around the radio listening to the formal declaration of war with Germany.
Auntie Ivor - a maiden Lady - staying with them at the time turned to Noel, Glynn and Fenton and said "you?ll all be going won?t you".
They all went.
Lesson - If you have a duty to do something - you get on and do it even if it is unpleasant.
Dad, Glynn and Fenton all joined the army. His younger brother Doug joined the airforce straight from school and was shot down over Normandy shortly after the "D" Day landings. Dad was a member of the 29th Battalion in Fiji to protect us from a Japanese invasion. Fortunately that didn?t happen. The army carries the blame for Dad?s baldness. It was so hot in Fiji he shaved his head - the hair didn?t grow back. Dad?s army career was short - he badly injured his knee playing rugby - he was sent back to NZ to recover. Gary, Doug and I are grateful for that injury because it was in hospital he met Mum. Dad married Muriel Hull in 1945. At that time Dad worked for the US Marines in Auckland in charge of a gang stripping down jeeps coming back from the Pacific War. I was born in 1948, Gary in 1949 and Doug in 1950. Doug grew real fast and we were often mistaken for triplets. Mum and Dad had their hands full. In 1951 Dad and Mum brought the farm on Mangawhero Road. 50 acres, 50 cows plus replacement with a 6 bale walk through shed. Dad milked cows twice a day until he w as 62. Too tough a life for his sons - I went into Banking, Gary into being a Stock and Station Agent and Doug into Accounting.
Lesson - If something takes hard work you get in and do it until it is finished.
The farm was good to us, it raised three boys . We didn?t get every thing we wanted but we got every thing we needed - a bit of discipline every now and then as well. We had love affection and guidance and a happy and exciting childhood just like all childhoods should be. Dad always said that if someone gave him $1000 an acre for the farm he wouldn?t be able to get off the tractor fast enough. In 1974 Dad sold the farm for $100,000 and moved into Mum?s dream house in Hampton Terrace Matamata. During this time Dad followed his love of golf. The Wednesday Geriatrics at the Matamata course getting slower as the years went by. The hills getting steeper - playing just the top ten holes. Careful selection of your playing four became more important
· you needed someone whose eyesight was good enough to see where the ball went for each member of the four, often that was Stewart Sainsbury.
· you needed someone who could remember how many strokes each had taken on the hole often that was Lofty Marshall.
· John Duncan was allowed to join the four because he had the ability to hurry back to the clubhouse to phone the ambulance to resuscitate whoever was in trouble on the course.
But most importantly you needed people you could have an enjoyable game of golf with. To all the members of the Wednesday Geriatrics keep it going and thanks for the enjoyment you gave to Dad.
It was at this time Grandchildren started appearing - they gave Dad great pleasure and a little frustration as they ran through his garden and dug up the lawn. Mum died in 1984 and Dad was devastated.
To Betty and all of the Hawke family our public thanks for all you have done for Noel.
Betty you have been a good friend and confidant.
· you gave Dad a new lease of life.
· you brought him back into line when he needed it.
· you took him to the Melbourne Cup two years ago.
We are very grateful.
To all of you here today to honour Noel?s life - I?ll leave you with two thoughts.
· In an era when you either earned money or starved, Dad was never without a job.
· Quite an achievement.
·
Yesterday a Mr Tuck rang the house. I would judge him to be of the same vintage as Dad. I had never heard of him but he had seen the notice in the paper and wanted to pass on his condolences. He carried on saying that years and years ago Noel worked for his Father and he wanted us to know that Noel was a "Good Bloke".
Dad would be delighted to be remembered as a "Good Bloke".
Born 11/11/1912
Died 4/12/95
Funeral Service at All Saints Anglican Church Matamata 6/12/95.
|
| Person ID |
I3323 |
Frost Family |
| Last Modified |
8 Dec 2008 |
| Family |
Muriel Isabelle Jeanette Hull, b. 15 Aug 1916, Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand , d. 17 Jun 1984, Matamata, Matamata-Piako District, Waikato, New Zealand (Age 67 years) |
| Married |
23 Aug 1945 |
St Barnabas Church, Mt Eden. Auckland City, Auckland, New Zealand [2] |
| Children |
|
| Last Modified |
15 Aug 2008 |
| Family ID |
F1079 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
-
| Event Map |
|
 | Born - 11 Nov 1912 - Turanga-O-Moana, Waikato, New Zealand |
 |
 | Married - 23 Aug 1945 - St Barnabas Church, Mt Eden. Auckland City, Auckland, New Zealand |
|
 | Died - 4 Nov 1995 - Matamata, Matamata-Piako District, Waikato, New Zealand |
|
| Buried - 6 Nov 1995 - Matamata, Matamata-Piako District, Waikato, New Zealand |
|
|
| Pin Legend |
 : Address
 : Location
 : City/Town
 : County/Shire
 : State/Province
 : Country
 : Not Set |
-
| Sources |
- [S261] Gregor family tree, Alec Gregor.
- [S10] Marriage Register Index , 1945/07946 (Reliability: 3).
|
|
|
|
