Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ferdinand Donald MACLEAN (9 August 2012, aged 86)

Don, or Rangarere Don, as he was known in Rabaul, was born in Namanula hospital to Lottie and Jock Maclean, of Rangarere and Old Massawa plantations on the Bainings coast of New Britain. He spent his early childhood on the plantation, doing correspondence lessons from the Queensland Correspondence School and in 1937 was sent to Brisbane Boys College in Brisbane to complete his secondary education. This was not a happy time for him, being separated from his family and only seeing them once a year in the Christmas holidays.

In December 1941 after Pearl Harbour, and while he was home for the holidays, the administration decided to evacuate the white women and children from Rabaul. Don, his mother and sister were sent to Brisbane. Because his father was missing in New Guinea, Don had to get a job to support his mother and sister so he worked for Mars Machine Tool Company until he was old enough to join the Army in late 1943.

Don served in Bougainville in 1944 and 1945. As he was very fluent in pidgin, at the end of the war he was transferred to Rabaul to act as an interpreter for the Allied Occupation Force. He took his discharge in Rabaul and joined his father in clearing and rehabilitating their plantations after 5 years of neglect and war damage.

Don had great rapport with the local people and was instrumental in forming the Lassul Local Government council, for which he received, in September 2000, a Recognition Award for contribution in services to the development of Papua New Guinea from Sir Silas Atopare, GCMG, KStJ.
In 1972 he and his family moved to Brisbane. While driving a taxi at night he graduated as Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies in 1980. In 1984 he completed a Master of Social Science degree at UQ after which he was employed by the ATSIC Educational Unit at the University of Queensland. In 2008 his deteriorating health forced him to retire from the tutoring which he loved.

Don is survived by Judith, his wife, four of his children and their spouses, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren and will be dearly missed by his family and many friends. Judi Maclean