Hyrtle Powley The Family Say Thank you
A true cattleman
The Family would like to thank everyone for their condolences and kind messages in their loss of Hyrtle.
God Bless
Marianne, Rosemary, Lizette, Pam and families.
Hyrtle Powley – Eulogy
Marianne, Rosemary, Lizette, Pam, family members and friends.
Thank you for the honour you have given me in asking me to deliver a eulogy to Hyrtle.
It’s tempting to pack every detail of someone’s life into a eulogy, and there’s a lot to say about Hyrtle.
There are many stories that will be told today, as they will be in coming weeks, but right now I can imagine that Hyrtle would say, ‘It’s hot, get on with it, and don’t make a fuss’. So, I shall get on with it.
My connection with Hyrtle and his family is that I am one of the Cloncurry Powleys. Contact with our Charters Towers cousins was spasmodic from for many years, and it wasn’t until the early 1970s when my parents Jack and Shirley were booked into the Robert Towns Motel in Townsville.
Mum tells the story that she was given the wrong room key and took it back to reception.
The lady at the desk noticed two Powleys on the guest list and told Mum.
That led to knock on the door of Hyrtle and Marianne’s room, in turn leading to a renewed connection between the two Powley families that still exists today. We are not just relatives, we are friends.
Hyrtle passed away peacefully on Tuesday 11th January at the age of 90, with Marianne by his side. That’s such a short sentence, and it’s one we hear often, but it marks the end of what has been a remarkable life.
Hyrtle Powley was born here in Charters Towers on the 1st March 1931, the only child of Arthur and Grace Powley. By all accounts, it had been a hot summer and the beginning of March would have brought home of cooler weather around Charters Towers.
Born in Charters Towers, died in Charters, his life has been defined by this area that is so rich in history. Hyrtle loved his history, so I thought it would be good to see what the world is like for a baby Hyrtle in 1931?
• White Nose wins the Melbourne Cup. If Hyrtle was old enough, he would have put a bet on.
• The Great Depression is in full swing. One of the repercussions in Australia is a Beef Riot in Adelaide when the government decides to remove beef from the dole ration.
• Isaac Isaacs is appointed as Governor General. The first Australian-born person to be appointed to that post.
• Joseph Scullin is the Prime Minister when Hyrtle is born but is defeated later that year by Joseph Lyons.
• King George V is on the throne and the British Empire still exists.
• The two ends of the Sydney Harbour Bridge are joined in the middle.
• South Sydney beats Eastern Suburbs in the Rugby League Grand Final 12 -7
• Dame Nellie Melba dies a week before Hyrtle is born and Rupert Murdoch is born 10 days after Hyrtle makes his first appearance.
This place where we are today, All Souls, played a major part in the making of Hyrtle. He went to school here for nine years and completed his senior schooling.
At the end of his senior year, Hyrtle was accepted to attend Duntroon Military College for officer training. However, a life on the land had a stronger pull on the young Hyrtle, and he made the decision to remain at Allensleigh working the property with his family.
One day, in 1956, a young man and young woman met in a Charters Towers grocery shop. The young man was Hyrtle and the young woman was Marianne. If their eyes had not made contact over the cabbages, tomatoes and lettuce, a union that lasted more than 60 years would not have happened.
But their eyes did meet and there must have been interest, because two years later they married.
Three children resulted from Hyrtle and Marianne’s union. Rosemary, born in 1959, Lizette in 1963 and Pam in 1972.
Hyrtle was a family man and he was also a community man, serving others in different ways. He was a councillor for the Dalrymple shire for ten years.
He loved the cattle industry. It’s no surprise that he was a Foundation and life Member of the Droughtmaster Society, and Foundation Member of the Australian Brahman Breeders Association
He judged many shows for stud breeds throughout Queensland and was a Droughtmaster Board Member for 24 years. Hyrtle was also a Board Member of the Australian Brahman Breeders Association from 1957-1961
Like a lot of people from the bush, a love of cattle comes with a love of horses, and horse racing. Hyrtle owned horses and he loved track work.
Hyrtle would hate anyone to make a big deal out of his generosity, but he looked after people and extended a helping hand without expecting applause. In one case, that led to a dramatic change for the better for people in the area north of Charters Towers.
In the 1990s, Hyrtle contacted other graziers in the area to gauge their support on the establishment of a two-way radio transmitter that would improve communication not only for them, but for anyone travelling in the area including emergency services.
A financial contribution from each station led to the construction of the tower on Gowrie Mountain that still services the region today. In more recent years, the Australian Army has been added to the list of users of this vital service.
Hyrtle was the quintessential bush gentleman, always making you feel welcome, laughing at your stories, and making you feel that anything you said was the most interesting thing that he had ever hear.
My experience of his good humour and generosity of spirit was when I turned up for dinner at Rosemary and Bill’s place, with Hyrtle and Marianne also there. My offering was some chorizo sausage as an entrée. For a lot of people of Hyrtle’s generation, that would be a bit too exotic for their tastes. However, we cut it into slices and grilled it. Hyrtle said that he loved it and couldn’t get enough of it. His response was nothing short of ecstatic.
Rosemary told me later that Hyrtle would never have touched it if anyone else had offered it, but when a guest served it, he reacted as if it was manna from heaven.
Hyrtle was still laughing and telling stories to the end, and they were stories worth listening to. He could make the most mundane topic interesting, just by the tone of his voice and his turn of phrase.
When you head north west from Charters Towers along the Lynd Highway, then onto the Bluff Downs Road, you cross a grid onto Allensleigh Station. The scene before you is the homestead and outbuildings with a background of basalt wall. The property was assigned to the Powley family in 1911. That’s the scene that greeted Hyrtle for over 90 years whenever he returned home.
And, with the kind permission of the current owners, the Lyons family who are also a long-term grazing family in the Charters Towers area, Hyrtle will go home to Allensleigh again when his ashes are scattered by family members. It will be good to be home.
When all is said and done, if we get to the end of our lives and people say that they were glad that they knew us, that’s as good as it gets. I can say, without hesitation, that I’m glad that I knew Hyrtle Powley
Hyrtle Powley (RIP)
I was very fortunate to have known Hyrtle Powley a true cattleman Who lived on Allensleigh Station North West Charters Towers all of his life.
Hyrtle Powley passed away peacefully on Tuesday 11th January 2022 with his wife Marianne and family by his side aged 90.
Hyrtle was a Foundation and life Member of the Droughtmaster Society, and Foundation Member of the Australian Brahman Breeders Assn.
He judged many shows within the stud breeds throughout Qld.
He was a Droughtmaster Board Member for 24 years.
Board Member with Australian Brahman Breeders Association 1957-1961
He devoted his life to the cattle Industry and family and his passion for horse racing.
Hyrtle Powley memorial service is to be held on the 18th January at All Souls Chapel 10 am .
He is survived by his wife Marianne, daughters Rosemary Lizette and Pamela and families.
