Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Two years after Australia entered WWI, Reginald Bourke was born in the little country town of Kyneton, about 90 kms northwest of Melbourne in 1916. 

Nearby, his parents, Patrick and Sarah, owned a small mixed farm near the tiny township of Carlsruhe where Reg and his two brothers, Frank and Jack, were raised.  Like most in the district, the family managed to eke out a living on the land although there was little money to spare.  Reg learned from a very early age to repair, make do and save the pennies where he could. 

His maiden aunt paid for his education at the Marist Brother’s School in Kyneton and no matter the weather, his old horse, Bluey, was his only mode of transport for the 10 mile (17km) round-trip from home.  He loved science but, unfortunately, the school didn’t have a science teacher so he studied Latin, French, Economics, Greek and Roman History and received Honours in European History.  Years later his French rendition of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” was a special memory for his six children.

When the Great Depression hit, Reg and his brothers caught rabbits and sold them outside the farm gate.  Swaggies who asked for tucker were never turned away empty-handed, and as they left the farmhouse they put a tick on the front gate to let other swaggies know they could get a feed.

Reg entered Melbourne Teachers College after winning a scholarship in early 1935 and spent nearly six years teaching at small country schools around Victoria. 

Shortly after Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, Reg enlisted at the Cobden office and transferred to Melbourne for the 90-Day Training Camp in May 1941.  By July, symptoms of bronchitis developed and six months later, after a series of chest x-rays and sputum tests, Pulmonary Tuberculosis was diagnosed.  Discharged from the Army in July 1942 and admitted to the Gresswell Sanatorium in August for six months, Reg began to think about his career options.  Although he was later pronounced fit to resume teaching, he resigned from the Education Department in 1945.

Two years later Reg was appointed a clerk in the Auditor General’s Office and commenced his study in Accounting.

Engaged to his sweetheart on Armistice Day 1950, he married Pauline Drewry 15 months later, and during the next nine years they welcomed six children into their lives.

Reg continued in the Commonwealth Audit Office and received several promotions.

Health issues developed by 1975 and after major surgeries to lungs and kidney, Reg retired from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Auditor-General’s Office) as Audit Inspector Grade 3 in 1977.   

His death in 1985 left his family and many friends deeply saddened.  An unassuming man, Reg was a quiet achiever who was family-oriented and community-spirited.  There were many occasions the modest weather-board family home in Melbourne nearly burst at the seams with family, orphans and strays who needed a bed for a single night or six months.  His faith kept him strong and he didn’t complain when life sometimes got tough. 

He was a gentleman in every sense of the word and is still sadly missed.