Vale: Catherine “Dadie” Dawes July 23, 1915 – March 7, 2016.
Catherine “Dadie” Eckford was born in Townsville on Friday, July 23, 1915. Catherine was the first child for James Patrick Eckford and Lily Mary Eckford.
She was known as Dadie from very early on in her life; it was a name given to her by her grandfather Edward Parker. Dadie had five siblings, Edna, Jim, Coral, Meldie and a stillborn baby brother.
Dadie spent the early part of her life moving around north and western Queensland, as her father was a drover. The family moved from Townsville to Cloncurry to Eden Vale and to Charters Towers before they settled at Julia Creek in July, 1924.
The move to Julia Creek was the beginning of a long and memorable association between Dadie and the town which lasted for more than half a century.
Dadie was nine when they arrived in Julia Creek and often spoke of growing up out west and spending time with many of her extended family, the Eckford’s, McKee’s, Parker’s, Hennessy’s and McGettigan’s.
Dadie was educated at Julia Creek State School, St Columba’s School and St Mary’s College in Charters Towers. Her strong ties to her faith and beliefs started early in her life when she was awarded the Christian Doctrine Examination Standard ‘A’ and Crown of Honour for Good Conduct whilst attending St Mary’s.
Upon completing her studies, Dadie returned to Julia Creek and while working at the general store there she met her future husband and manager of the store, Peter Dawes.
Peter purchased a small store in Burke Street in 1936, Dadie carried out bookkeeping for the business among many others roles. Three years later Peter and Dadie were married, just one week before World War II was declared.
Dadie and Peter had eight children, Pete, Cathie, a stillborn baby daughter, Joey, Jim, Pat, Mary and Mike. They brought a great deal of joy to them both and Dadie had very fond memories of them growing up in Julia Creek.
Many family get-togethers were often spent in the holiday house at Pallarenda, or visiting relatives in Cloncurry, Townsville, Sydney, Brisbane and Western Australia.
As each of the children completed school they were educated as shopkeepers before leading their own lives as adults. Dadie and Peter became grandparents for the first time in 1963 with the birth of their first granddaughter Helen. 15 more grandchildren were to follow and in turn 26 great grandchildren have followed since then with another on the way.
Together Dadie and Peter were very active community members in Julia Creek with a strong commitment to supporting and serving the local community. As well as raising a family and running the store, they were very generous with their time and finances to improve life for the people of the west.
Both held many committee positions throughout their lives: they were inaugural members of the Town and Country Club and very involved with the Race and Pony clubs and various church and school committees.
Dadie served three terms on the McKinlay Shire as councillor. She also sat for two terms on the Richmond Hospital Board, was President of the local branch of the Girl Guides Association and the inaugural President of the Julia Creek Chamber of Commerce. She also organised debutante balls, assisted with fund raising events for the church and schools in the area.
The Dawes’ contribution to the Julia Creek community was recognised when the McKinlay Shire Council named a park in the centre of town in their honour, the Peter Dawes Park. Peter and Dadie had begun developing the park for the children of the town and surrounding areas when their own children were of a young age. Peter and Dadie put on yearly Christmas parties at the park where they supplied ice creams and soft drinks for all the children of the community.
Dadie and Peter retired to Charters Towers after almost 50 years in Julia Creek, taking not only their furniture and belongings with them but also their entire house (minus the sleep-out and summer house).
Dadie and Peter enjoyed their retirement together in Charters Towers for many years. Dadie cared for Peter before his passing in 1997. Her resilience and strong faith helped her to overcome sad times which shined through when she provided support for others in their times of need.
A few years after Peter passed away, Dadie moved to Townsville, with her son Pete coming to live with her soon after. They had a special relationship and were great company for each other. Dadie was very protective and supportive of Pete and they took good care of each other during their time together.
Dadie was a very spiritual woman with strong beliefs in support of her Catholic faith. She always lived her faith and was respectful of all people and values.
Dadie and Peter were wonderful parishioners and very generous and supportive to the St Joseph’s Boarding School in Julia Creek and St Teresa’s College in Abergowrie which was home for many boarders over the years including their own children and nieces and nephews. Dadie sponsored many needy children through World Vision, which again demonstrated her strong commitment to support and improve the lives of others.
She had a love of local and family history, and has provided many people and organisations with a lot of valuable information in her time. She also liked to crochet, knit, sew and cook lovely sweets and fruit cake. She had a keen eye for fashion and was always immaculately dressed.
Dadie moved to a retirement village in Brisbane for a time before moving to live with her son Mike and daughter-in-law Kate who took very good care of her until she moved to live in Penola Nursing Home. When Penola closed she moved into St Martin’s were she lived contentedly for the last years of life. She especially enjoyed bingo and visits from her family and friends.
She was a true inspiration to everyone she came across, but none more than to her family. Everyone who has ever crossed her path is forever lucky.
At almost 101 years of age Dadie was truly a woman whose life is to be celebrated and is missed dearly by her entire family.