Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Broughton William Hyde Weaver
(1/10/1921 – 2/8/2019)


Dad was born on 1st October 1921 in Wagga in central NSW. His parents were William Edward Weaver and Clarice Enid (nee Mott). Dad was the eldest of 3 children, the others being Clifton and Grantley.

Dad’s parents were from working backgrounds – his father was a house painter – and in common with many during the Depression, they found it difficult to find work. The Weaver family moved from Wagga to Lismore in 1931 (when dad was 10) and established the house painting business of W.E. Weaver & Co. In the same year, 1931, the woman who was to be his lifelong partner, my mum Nerida, was also brought to Lismore by her parents (Cyril and Isabell Robb) who were also seeking work during Depression times.

Dad first met Mum in the late 30’s, soon after they had both completed their schooling. They were married in St. Paul's on 13th November 1943. This was at the height of WW2 and Dad had enlisted in the Air Force as a Catalina flying boat pilot. Dad did his Catalina training in Canada and often recounted stories of his time there, of collecting a brand new plane from a factory in the USA and then having to fly it all the way back to Australia, island-hopping his way across the Pacific.

After their marriage Mum and Dad moved to Townsville (where Dad’s flight wing operated) and after the war they returned to Lismore for the birth of their first child: Robert in 1945 followed by John in 1947, Kathleen in 1950 and finally me in 1952.

The family first lived in Dawson Street (corner James) and in 1951 moved to 41 Bright Street, East Lismore, where they lived for 30 years.

Broughton initially worked as an accountant and did the office work for his father’s business of W. E. Weaver & Co, Painters and Decorators. Eventually, when his father retired and moved to Ballina, dad took over the business and developed it into a sizeable enterprise, at one stage employing more than 15 painters. Dad concentrated on the office work – doing quotes, issuing invoices, purchasing the paint, brushes, dropsheets and other paraphernalia. The one part of the business that he did himself was wallpaper hanging which he had been taught by his father. He would set up his tressle tables under the house in Bright Street and roll out the wallpaper for application of sizing (the glue that holds wallpaper to the wall). He had his office in a corner room upstairs – jam packed with piles of paper and his trusty typewriter.

While Dad ran the business and provided the income, Mum was a full-time parent, being involved with the children’s schooling and sporting activities, as well as maintaining the home. Dad traditionally stayed in the background while Mum did the talking, but we were always aware of his input. Mum always knew she could count on Dad to provide for the family and that gave her the freedom to lavish her love on us.

Eventually, after the children had left home and Dad had retired, they moved to 16 Cedar Street, Goonellabah. By this time, Mum was beginning to suffer from arthritis, so the new house was ideal in that it has very few steps (compared to the Bright Street house that had many). Dad also took up the sport of lawn bowls as a means of exercising his back which had been a source of pain for some years. He played at Lismore Bowling Club where he became the Financial Secretary. One of his routine jobs was to empty the poker machines, count the cash and get it into the bank. He became a bit of a bowls fanatic for some time, playing in every possible tournament and becoming a State Umpire. Lismore Bowling Club have their annual tournament early in the New Year so our Christmas holidays were always spent at a nearby beach so dad could drive up to Lismore each day for his bowls!

Dad was a person who loved puzzles. Every Christmas he would set up a card table to put together his latest 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. He was always doing Sodoku, was an expert at Rubick’s Cube, and once won a prize from Post magazine for his solution to the Mr Wisdom’s Whopper Crossword.

In their retirement years Mum and Dad travelled widely around Australia towing a caravan. They also travelled overseas, with trips to Asia to visit their son, Robert; and to Canada to visit the lakes where Broughton had trained as a pilot during the war.

Early in 2000, Mum was diagnosed with cancer and although chemotherapy gave her some respite for about 6 months, the disease was finally overwhelming, and she passed away peacefully in the early hours of Sunday 24th September 2000.

Dad continued to live alone in the Goonellabah house for some years until he was no longer able to manage on his own due to the progression of Dementia. He finally moved into the St Joseph’s Nursing Home in 2009?? and has been there for the last 10?? years. The last few years have been tough for dad as dementia gradually took over. We saw the years of his frustration at not being able to remember people and events, until eventually there was virtually no memory of anything at all. His mind gave way but his body would not quit until he finally took his last breath at around 6:30am on Friday 2nd August. He was aged 97 years 10 months and 1 day. A truly long life for anyone!

Dad was a gentleman in the old sense. He was a gentle man who worked hard to support his family. Mum was the one who provided the outward love, but dad was always there supporting and giving his love in his own quiet way. He took great pride in seeing his children grow and have children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His ever-expanding family has been his greatest source of pride. We will all miss him and remember him in our hearts forever.


Stephen Weaver
3/8/2019