Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Archibald John McFarlane (John) SX8060
Born in Mildura to Andrew and Victoria McFarlane on the 17th August, 1916, John was one of fourteen children. His family moved to Cobdogla the following year. (Cobdogla being an aboriginal word meaning "land of plenty"). There, his father, Andrew became a highly respected fruit grower but he and others in the region experimented with growing potatoes as they were a crop that could remain in the ground during the winter months and thus generate a higher price for the gardeners. However, plagues of grasshoppers decimated the crops some years, but the professional growers from the Adelaide Hills who also had land around Cobdogla, believed the soil was perfect for potatoes, but ideally requiring consistent water to irrigate the crops. This contrasted with heavy rains of 1933 which decimated currant crops and left the McFarlane’s orange block almost a metre under water in places.
John gained his Qualifying Certificate (Q.C.) at the Cobdogla Primary School, which frequently combined with Loveday to hold an annual picnic day. On such occasions, motor vehicles conveyed large numbers of parents and children to the North Lake. There treats of sweets, cool drinks, ice cream, and fruit were provided before a wide range of sporting competitions were offered with John, brother Murray and his sister Mollie being winners in their respective age groups for running and the fun pick-a-back, jumbled boot and three-legged races. At the end of year breakup, 11-year-old John was presented with an ‘Extra Prize’ for his academic and sporting year.
That same year, 1929, while only 10 years old, John saw young Fred Lambert, inadvertently stepped off a sand bar into a deep hole in the River Murray near Morgan on February 16. The local ‘Observer’ recorded that John immediately swam to his assistance where “He was dragged under by the drowning boy, but seized him again, and was trying to drag him to the bank when he sank from his grasp.” As a result of his actions, the then Governor (Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven) presented John with an award for bravery on behalf of the Royal Humane Society for his selfless action.
Typical of River kids, John was a practiced and confident swimmer. Each year the Morgan Swimming Club held an annual carnival on New Year's Day, which included across river races. Aged 20, John won the patron's trophy cup for the 50 yards District Championship, with his typical fast finish. He also won the 50-yard Open Handicap.
Post school John helped his father in the family fruit growing property orchard. This healthy lifestyle, as with so many other River lads, meant that John was an outstanding all-round athlete. He was a prominent member of the Cobdogla football, cricket, and tennis teams, a champion table tennis player, and a leading bike rider. As a useful Cobdogla footballer and goal sneak in 1937 he also took out the Eitzen Trophy, based on umpires’ votes awarded throughout the season.
However, it was in the newly developing sport of cycling that John particularly excelled. The ‘Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record’ reported on a race conducted by the Berri Cycle Club in July ’36. “The cup presented by Quinn's Café was contested on Saturday by the Berri's Cycle Club under ideal cycling conditions. The course was to Kingston punt and return, the rough roads at the turning point, keeping the riders from making the pace too hot, J. McFarlane and H Higgs, two co-makers, crossed the line locked together, Judges feeing unable to separate them. Owing to the tie for first position the two riders concerned will receive a cup each.” Wherever there was a competition, John was there as were the locals who piled into lorries and cars to spectate. Reports in the newspapers were breathless in their praise of John’s ability: “The best finish for the afternoon was provided by the place getters in the half mile handicap. J. McFarlane, L. Peterson and V. Simmens, all of Cobdogla, raced for the finishing line almost locked together and the judges could only separate the winner, J. McFarane, from Peterson and Semmens by the barest of margins.” John was always a firm favourite with the crowd, winning the Half Mile Handicap plus the Two and Three Mile A Class Scratch Races in successive years. With cycling rapidly growing in popularity Waikerie hosted a variety of events in 1937, including a barefoot vs bike race, easily won by the foot runner! Having been pipped by half a wheel in the Three-Mile Scratch race, John then fronted for the half mile race. The ‘Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record’ described the final where “spectators were again provided with a thrilling finish when J. McFarlane, C. Anderson, and L. Pfiefer raced locked together over the last half lap, McFarlane flashing past the post with inches in his favour from C. Anderson. Later in the day, John also won the One and A Half Mile Race.
By 1938, Racing had taken off in popularity with interstate and international competitors, professional and amateurs. Against State Champions, John continued to finish in first or second place in the One and Two-Mile Handicap Races. Berri instituted a Tour of the Murray 50-Mile Road Race from Berri to Cobdogla, back through Berri to Renmark, before return to the finishing point at Berri. By this time all the roads were bituminised. With 34 riders participating, the winner's time was 2 hours 6 minutes 30 seconds with John taking out the sash as the Fastest Upper Murray rider in the creditable time of 2 hours 4 minutes 48 seconds. John, not surprisingly, was one of four riders selected to represent South Australia to compete in Melbourne and Tasmania bike races over summer. At the La Trobe meeting, the biggest in Australia, John McFarlane came second in the Wheel Race.
Waikerie continued to host meetings in 1939 with the local Riverland riders being very competitive against the city and interstate riders with John finishing second in both the Half Mile and Two-Mile events and again competing in New South Wales, Melbourne and Tasmania at the La Trobe carnival where he was placed in a number of races. He was lauded as “one of Waikerie’s most consistent riders”. He followed this success up with involvement in the Renmark Anzac Day Cycling and Athletic carnival, where the proceeds, fittingly, were to go to the Renmark Unit of the Fighting Forces Comfort Funds. The finale was the Five Mile Event with a £20 ($40) and prestigious Cup for the winner. John, of course, provided the local interest. At the peak of his riding career, In May of 1940 John won the Trophy for scoring the Most Points in finals for the track season. A flourishing career came to an abrupt end as war intervened. Aged 23, John enlisted on June 21st to be allocated the numbers SX8060 while his brother Murray followed suit on the 29th June as SX7028 in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. For this fit, talented young man, John’s life and physical ability were to be irrevocably changed.
Prior to being posted overseas on the Stratheden in November, John had pre-embarkation leave in September, spending this back in the Riverland, as did other enlistees from Cobdogla, his brother Murray, and others in the 2/48th Battalion; Donald Wing SX7969, Albert Matthews SX7503 and Lewis Semmens SX7189.
Within eight months, in July of 1941 at Tobruk, John was wounded in action with a gunshot wound to the thorax and abdomen, causing him to be evacuated and spending almost 6 months convalescing in Dimra. The unwanted news was relayed to his parents and his River community.
Almost 12 months later, he was again wounded this time with another gunshot wound to his buttocks. Soon after he developed a severe case of boils to his leg and again being hospitalized. His leadership skills were recognized with a promotion as the 2/48th spent its last months in the Middle East before heading back to Australia. John was able to have three weeks seasonal leave to help the family with picking their fruit crops – a brief respite before again returning to action and yet another gunshot shrapnel wound to his neck and arm in May of ’43 and yet more time in hospital before his Battalion headed for Milne Bay and another promotion to L/Cpl. This superbly fit young Riverland man developed malaria and bronchitis resulting in a further bout of hospitalization. A turbulent time of being AWOL, not attending Parade, struggling with malaria and an accidental laceration wound to his eyelid, then again being demoted to Private made 1944 and ‘45 most challenging years for John. Finally, he was discharged in November of 1945, being awarded the African Star, 1939/45 Star and Pacific Star, the Defence and War Medals.
Despite the extensive injuries sustained overseas, John returned to playing one of the sports he loved – football. In 1946, he won the Upper Murray Football Association medal for the fairest and most brilliant player for the season, based on the umpires’ votes.
Post-war, John’s mother Victoria had a few years to share with John but died aged 53 in 1948.
John married Glady Pickering, a younger River woman from Cobdogla, who, unsurprisingly was also a talented netballer (then basketball) player. They had four children Joan, Steven, Daryl and Judy. Glady pre-deceased John, and died in January of 1981 aged 57. The following year in an horrific accident their oldest son, Steven drowned in 1982 aged just 31, leaving a widow, Cheryl and young daughter, Rebecca. Aged 71, John died in 1988; both he and Glady are buried in the Barmera cemetery.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133 2/48th Battalion.