CECIL Thomas Watts was born in Sydney on October 28, 1926, the only child born to Cecil Samuel Watts and Ethel May Watts, nee Bird. Unfortunately Cec's parents separated when he was a young boy and Cec was raised by his father who re-married when Cec was around 14 years old.
Cec went to Glebe Public School where, he said, 'they has excellent teachers for those who wanted to learn'. He always had a retentive memory and was a good student able to take it all in often recalled a teacher who made the class listen to classical music. This teacher also taught them rollicking sea shanties which in later years he's occasionally burst into - much to Dawn's amusement.
After primary school Cec went to Ultimo Central Technical School where he particularly enjoyed draughtsmanship. It was around this time Cec's dad remarried, prompting Cec to decide it was time to 'stand on his own two feet'.
In his own words: "In June 1942 I placed a slightly misleading advertisement in the Situations Wanted: Lad 15 seeking work on farm or station. Some experience. Can milk, kill and ride. Contact etc.
"The some experience was gathered during a two-week holiday spent on a relative's farm in the Gunnedah district, roaming around with my cousin Don, chasing rabbits and foxes; and fishing.
"Milking was pretty limited - but I understood the principle of the process. I could ride a horse - more or less - having learnt on old Toby - an ex-racing trotter. Thus was my career in the rural industry launched. I received half-a-dozen or so replies and selected the offer of a property at Narrabri.
"My failings were soon unmasked. I found the going tough for a while. I wasn't too slow on the uptake and - after a month or so - began to become useful. My milking speed improved, as did my riding.
"The daily routine for the next three-and-a-half years began at daylight winter and summer - get up the horses, milk the three cows, separate the milk and cream), then breakfast."
Like all sheep stations, life centred on harvesting; baling; burr cutting; etc. Cec did the lot - and then some! It was war-time with the consequent shortage of men, so there were only three people on the job.
To return to Cec's own words: "KSB' (Cec's boss, a Mr Beeton) 'encouraged me to do a correspondence course on station book-keeping - and he kept my nose to the grindstone.
"If he caught me so much as reading the newspaper, he'd confiscate all reading matter and I wouldn't get any back until I completed the current assignments. I also learned to eat minced liver - and like it!
"I didn't get into Narrabri much - usually about once a month to get a haircut, purchase clothes, etc. Looking back it was good training for my future career, but I missed young company so after seventeen months I left Narrabri and did temporary jobs sewing wheat bags, picking grapes in Griffith, then travelled north.
"Had a short stay at Conastan Station, then up to Darwin."
In Darwin Cec applied for a job with Vesteys. Their office was at Bullocky Point and Alf Quirk was the Pastoral Inspector. Cec joined the Vestey organisation in July 1946 as a second year jackaroo.
The Company's pastoral operation in Australia was founded by two English families with meatworks in Darwin and properties in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Cec's first station was Nicholson in Western Australia, then Flora Valley Station, Turner Station, and Gordon Downs.
It wasn't until after Cec and Dawn were married that Cec became manager. At the time it was Native Affairs policy - all managers had to be married men.
In the early 1940's Dawn's parents owned a mixed goods business in Halls Creek, where Dawn became aware of a young stockman who 'dropped in' from time to time. It was at the annual race meeting after her debut they became closer acquainted when Dawn drew a horse called Marigold in the 'ladies choice'.
After Cec (then head stockman at Gordon Downs) tried unsuccessfully to get one of the regular jockeys, Dawn asked CEC to ride, which he did, winning a trophy they still have.
This began a four year 'correspondence courtship', interspersed with occasional visits, until Cec came to work for Dawn's parents in the shop.
Everything was going smoothly until Cec proposed, but was honest enough to admit he and Dawn planned for the couple to go away for a while with CEC 'picking up work' on the way.
Dawn's parents refused consent, so the couple eloped starting a trek of almost two-weeks to get to the church in Dirranbandi in south-west Qld.
Dawn recalls: We went by truck to Gordon Downs Station; plane to Alice Springs; bus to Tennant Creek; plane to Mount Isa; train to Hughenden; train to Winton; train to Jericho, service coach to Blackall; mail truck to Mitchell; bus to St. George, and finally a taxi to Dirranbandi.
We were married on the November 10, 1955, honeymooning in Brisbane and Sydney, before moving north in March 1956 - first to Spring Creek, later Turner and later still Ord River Stations.
Ord River was where we adopted our daughter Susan in 1963 before moving to Darwin in 1965 where CEC took on the role of Pastoral Inspector for the Vestey Group's stations in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. 1965 was also the year we adopted our son Lindsay.
Cec had to do a lot of driving, inspecting stations in Western Australia; back to Darwin; then down to the stations in the Northern Territory, so the managing director at the time, Peter Morris, who always flew himself everywhere, told Cec he'd better learn to fly - which he did, fitting the lessons in with his other work load.
Apart from the sense of satisfaction, this enabled Cec to spend more time at home. (His flying log was one of the items on display at his funeral.)
The family was stationed in Darwin for seventeen years and included Cyclone Tracey on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day 1974 which wrecked their house and countless others and also wrecked the plane.
Fortunately the company bought another one and Cec was soon in the air again. The aftermath of Tracey found Cec, Dawn, Susan and Lindsay squashed in the family bathtub amidst the wreckage.
Cec had to scramble out and find an axe to release them.
From Darwin the family transferred to Rockhampton in 1981 as Managing Director for Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland - a position he held until he decided to retire at the age of 60.
The Vestey family were a good company to work for. Cec and Dawn always looked forward to their visits and appreciated the opportunities the family gave them.
Cec enjoyed every aspect of the job and the life it gave him. It was hard work but Dawn knew that in his heart he preferred life in the bush and, as a young man, liked nothing better than setting up with his swag under the stars.
For his retirement the company sent Dawn and Cec on a marvellous holiday through Europe, England, and on to Russia where they travelled by train through Mongolia to China.
The two saddest things in Cec and Dawn's marriage were when their son Lindsay suffered a stroke in 1980 and when they lost their beloved daughter Susan to leukaemia in 1992 (aged only 29).
During his working life, whenever Cec had a few days at home he loved spending time with the children - playing cricket, etc. The family always took annual holidays, usually down south where they could rent a house near a beach and tour around.
After Cec retired he was asked to be a leader for bus tours out to the country he knew so well. For Cec it was like a having a holiday every time. He met many interesting people with properties in New South Wales and Queensland; was often able to catch up with old friends and to top it off, was being paid to enjoy himself!
CEC always accepted any challenge that came his way, generally never knocking back anything he was asked to do. One exception to this was when it was suggested he consider being District Governor for Rotary. This was one opportunity he had to decline as he didn't want to spend so much time away from Lindsay.
Community Service activities CEC was involved with included President of Brothers Rugby League Club in Darwin, President of the Darwin Bushfire Council; President of a Picnic Race Club in Western Australia; Secretary for Neighbourhood Watch; Probus; and President of Rotary Clubs in Darwin and Rockhampton. CEC enjoyed both the fellowship and being able to work for the community.
Other interests included reading (he'd read almost anything); collecting books about the war and people he'd known; music (with the exception of heavy metal); photography; golf (later in life); gardening and whiling away time on the computer. CEC liked all pets; was fairly outgoing; and above all had a great sense of humour.
He kept in fairly good health and was mentally alert, but over the past six weeks of his life began suffering kidney failure resulting in his death on February 21, 2015, at the age of 88 years.
