Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Geoff was born on 11th. October 1916 into a christian household with his father being a minister of religion. The Reverend Russell Frederick Tacon and his wife Amy Florence, his lifetime assistant ,were both deeply involved with the Church of England. Along with his siblings Ivor, Brenda, Isobel and Bernard all recieved a well disciplined upbringing and were all well educated.

When the depression of the 1930s came he would have been on the verge of leaving high school about to enter the work force. This was a difficult time for society and unemployment was at an all time high. He entered into a partnership in a wool broking business which terminated in early 1937. At that time, in his early 20s, he was an active member of the Highland Society in Sydney who regularly played the bagpipes.

Britain declared war on 3rd.September 1939 and Geoff enlisted in the AIF shortly after on the 15th. December at Paddington, NSW. His occupation is recorded as general factory hand on enlistment. Embarking for overseas aboard the HMT U4 on the 9th. January 1940 he bade farewell to his sweetheart standing on the wharf. He arrived in the Middle East and disembarked at Kantara on the 13th. February that same year. During his term overseas he worked as a Group 3 Nursing Orderly before being attached to the No 1 Aust. L of C Postal Unit (ME).in March 1941.He travelled extensively and as an avid photographer took many photos of the country and its people.

Upon returning Jean was there to greet him and they were married shortly after on 26th.June 1943 at St,Michaels Church, Vaucluse. On the 3rd. September that same year he was officially discharged "medically unfit for service not occasioned by his own default".For his part in the war effort he recieved the Australian Service, Defence and War medals. Geoff went onto learn the building trade while in another partnership and after it terminated in late 1946 he began his own business as a self employed carpenter. Moving north to Queensland in the early 1950s, he settled down to raise his family.  The building of the new house and scarcity of work made financial burdens heavy, so he sought employment similar to his wartime involvement with the medical corps, Always on the lookout for a new opportunity, one hot summers day his prayers were answered. A huge black mass buzzed overhead and formed into a triangular shape on a tree some fifty feet distant. This swarm of bees gave him the inspiration for what could be a successful business. Gaining his knowledge of beekeeping from books and using his intuition he worked tirelessly in making that happen, The business at one time boasted several hundred beehives and he was well known for his honey production. A familiar sight on Sundays on the north coast highway would be his truck parked at the Kallangur roadside selling honey.

Geoff was a passenger in a car involved in an accident in late 1968 which was a major setback when a broken rib pierced his left lung. This accelerated his already existing lung cancer leading to his death on 2nd.July 1969

P Tacon May 2015