DAD

MICK
George Arthur Glen ROSS 24 Feb 1909 - 31 Aug 1979

Some things never change....................

Honeymoon spent on Kangaroo Island - Dad went fishing - Mum sat twiddling her thumbs.
My honeymoon - Pete watching wrestling he had seen the week before - me twiddling thumbs.

Dad was born in Palmer, near Mannum on the 24^th Feb 1909.

Dad was a sportsman - A grade Tennis.

Picked to row at the 'head of the River' in England - but not allowed to go - his mother thought
he was too young (think he was around 18 at the time).

His tennis and rowing medals are proudly displayed in our cabinet.

He was a stirrer too - funny how I remember some of those little things - like the time we were flying to Kangaroo Island - my first time in a plane. Plane banked - Dad said 'look the wing's fallen off' - that did it - refused to fly again until I was 20 - and then under duress. Took me ages to feel 'safe' flying.

Mum and Dad met when they were both working for the E & WS Dept.

taken in 1942 at No. 3 Tanks,
approx 7 miles east of Robertstown

A Life member of the Public Service Association and served on the Council there for many years. Departmental Secretary for a long period of time and was for some time the Lower Murray Regional Group’s representative on Council.

A summary of Dad’s work career copied from the Public Service Review, Monday September 11, 1972 says

“The Department of Lands lost a valuable officer recently when G.A.G. (“Mick”) Ross decided to “call it a day”, some eighteen months before his retirement date.

“Mick” who was well-known throughout the Service, first joined the Engineering & Water Supply Department at Robertstown during the construction of the Morgan-Whyalla pipe line during World War II.

He remained with this Department until 1945 when he was appointed as Storekeeper and Book-keeper in the Aborigines Dept at Pt. McLeay. He was on a superannuation pension for a few years in 1949 owing to ill health* but recovered and re-joined the Service in 1950 being posted to the Accountant’s Branch of the Department of Lands.

After three years in the book-keeping section he transferred to Salary Records where he remained until 1968 when he was appointed Expenditure Clerk which position he held until his recent resignation. Etc”

Note* – He was absent due to contracting TB (3 years which means would have contracted it at Pt McLeay)

This is why he was unable to enlist in the forces – he was at Bedford Park recuperating.

Dad had an on again / off again battle with ill health. We went through life with a series of highs and lows -
Dad never complaining - always that 'wicked' sense of humour - so much of his illnesses and their potential
consequences kept from me - often till 'years after the event'.

I have memories of Mum and I following the ambulance taking Dad to the Royal Adelaide hospital - it went
just SO slowly - I wouldn't go near an ambulance until in my 40's................I couldn't 'take in' the fact that,
they HAD to go slowly, a bump could have killed him........
Another time in hospital - turns out Dad was allergic to rubber - and of course, back then, hospital mattresses were rubber.
The staff ended up having him like the "Princess and the Pea" - masses of layers of blankets and sheets between
Dad and the mattress.................it worked - the dermatitis slowly went away.
Dad must have been stubborn - a third of his lung removed with cancer, he continuously turned up for his
12 monthly checkups much to the amazement of the Specialist...........Dad defied the odds there.

An aortic aneurysm was his downfall............I am still convinced that it was 'less than safe work practices' that
caused his death - he got septacaemia 3 times while in Intensive Care..........
Back then in 1979 - the operation was risky at the best of times, but blood poisoning should not have occured.
Prior to going to hospital Dad said that if he was to die - let him die with DIGNITY - this didn't happen.
For 6 weeks Mum and I were with him all day and part of the nights -

Dad showed me that QUALITY of LIFE and DIGNITY are what matter
and are far more IMPORTANT than the Oath Doctors take.

1966 - On board the "Gilt Edge" - successful day by the looks of it.

Dad loved his fishing and horse races - used to work at the races for the Bookie, Colin Jacobs, 'pencilling' the bets.............
He would go to some of the country races as well - came home with a wheat bag of crayfish legs one time from a race meeting down at Robe (or nearby). Another time we feasted (if you could call it that) on a huge bag of freshly picked corn.

Easter was always spent at Oakbank in the Adelaide Hills at the racing carnival....... those days they used to block off the freeway and make it one way. There used to be yellow drums of water on the roadside for the cars who couldn't quite make it up the hills without boiling..............
Always took a bag of apples with us to hand to the poor Policemen who were stuck there on traffic duty.

He decided on my wedding day that I should be FASHIONABLY LATE - thanks Dad! - we went the longest way round to the Church that you could imagine. He was so 'excited' (glad to get rid of me?/or proud?) that he even forgot the camera.