Graetz Max

**Fast Facts**
Type of person	Individual
Date of birth	1926
Place of birth	Gawler
Date of death	28-9-2019

I was born in Dr Dawes hospital on 27 Dec 1926, the only child of Alma (nee Mattschos)- born 1 Dec 1905 and father Harry, born 2 Aug 1897.

We lived at Kangaroo Flat for 3 years until father sold the farm to become a road-maker; working in the Clare , Black Springs, Strathalbyn, and Tungkillo areas. I started school in Tungkillo and came to Gawler in the May school holidays of 1937, where I continued my schooling at the Lutheran School next to Zion Church. My one year of High School education commenced in 1940.

On leaving High school, I started work for Opies Bakery (119 – 125 Murray Street area), working 7 days a week [over 50 hours] and earned 15 shillings [$1.50]; from which came 5 shillings [50c] for board, and 5 shillings to pay off the bike that father bought me. On Saturday afternoons I went to the Pictures which cost me 6 pence [5c] and my ice-block [from Diekmann’s Deli nextb to Eudunda Farmers] cost 1 penny [1c].

I then worked as a cow-boy on Law-Smith’s farm [Yaringa, east of Gawler] where I milked 4 cows night and morning, as well as tending sheep and cattle and doing cropping. Leaving there I went to Parafield to mend air-planes before I spent 3 ½ years doing a milk-round in Gawler and Willaston which I bought off Ron Washington. He bought it back from me.

I worked for Gawler Council for 2 years doing general duties – roads and culverts; including the placement of the concrete footpath on Murray Street western side. I then had a paper-round for about 6 ½ years which took in the area east of the South Para River, after which I worked at Weapons Research Establishment [W.R.E.] for 2 years, followed by being an on road representative for Morton Industries; specialising in chain-saws. I spent 3 years for .Matters Real Estate.

My final employment was with Ames Hardware, unloading Angaston cement which was still “hot”, and using welding gloves up to my elbow. Wearing a leather apron, we unloaded by hand in a small shed which was like an oven in the hot days. Deliveries were made in the mornings and I worked 5 ½ days a week.

As a cricketer,I played for Sandy Creek from 1946 to approximately 1956, when I played for Gawler Centrals. I was proud to score a hundred for each team. I also played football from 1946 to 1954 to enjoy 3 premierships; Willaston 1948, Roseworthy 1949, and Centrals 1953.

I first met Tess at the Gawler Lutheran Primary School but it wasn’t until the early 1950’s when we met again and the friendship blossomed. We married in 1953 at the Lutheran Church in Flinders Street Adelaide and set up home on Lyndoch Road. We subsequently built our 13 East Terrace home and moved in 1956.

Tessa had one daughter Christine from her previous marriage and Tessa and I had Judith in 1954 and Geoffrey in 1957. We met when she worked at Parafield and, after our marriage, she drove a school bus for 5 years to earn money to give our children a good education. Nursing was everything to Tessa and she started in the 1970’s at Gawler’s Hutchinson Hospital and she progressed to be a very good theatre nurse; earning the praise of Dr Geoff Hyde. She retired from nursing in her late 60’s. Tessa passed away. 1st August,2011 and we were married 58 years.

I was a member of Gawler Apex in the early 1960’s and enjoyed 6 years with 100% attendance each year, despite having the paper round to contend with. I enjoyed the Apex working bees, which included wood delivery to pensioners and collecting the Christmas Trees in Colin Smith’s truck; the trees were sold to raise money for the Club to spend on Gawler service projects. We met in the Kingsford Hotel and the first room on the left was used for our general meetings. Those were the days when at least half of the chaps smoked and the room got very hazy. I let them know that too, quite regularly. My Christian Faith has been very important to me [and Tessa] and I have been a member of Gawler’s Zion Lutheran Church for over 70 years.

Sadly, Max passed away on 28th September 2019.

click here to see photographs relating to Max and his funeral cards

We thank the family for now providing Max's Eulogy

Maxwell Clarence Graetz

Max was born on 27th December 1926 to Alma & Harry Graetz by Doctor Dawes at the Gawler Hospital. Alma had such a traumatic experience giving birth that he would be an only child. At one time Max had said he was actually due on Xmas day & it was probably the only time in his life that he was late! To most of us he was Max, Maxwell, Maxy, and Graetzy but to me & many others, he was “Pa”. He spent his first few years of life on the farm at Kangaroo Flat, spending his days with his dog rabbiting, before the farm was sold & Harry joined a road making gang. For the next several years they spent time living at Clare, on Bungaree station, Black Springs, Strathalbyn & Tungkillo, mainly living out of tents. One particular day whilst based at Strathalbyn Pa had decided to help with the ironing, grabbing the box iron but instead of swinging it back & forth to keep the coals hot, swung it around & around which inevitably ended with the lid off & hot coals everywhere, not ideal when one is living in a tent. A quick clip under the ear, the hot coals were tended to & that was the end of ironing.

Tungkillo left many fond memories in a young Pa, the biggest being the annual Guy Fawkes Night where the whole town gathered at a reserve for a big bonfire & everyone let off there fire crackers, a real treat for all the kids in town. Another yearly tradition was on Easter Monday when the general store keeper got his big truck out, loaded the tray with wooden boxes so all the women & kids had somewhere to sit, with the men sitting on the tray edge & off they went to the Oakbank races for the day. Twice a year the family would all go & visit his grandmother at Kangaroo Flat, a trek of epic proportions for a young fella in those days. A 3am start with a walk to Mount Pleasant to catch the 7am train to Adelaide, swapping trains at Adelaide & then heading to Gawler for the day long visit. I think it was here when Pa first tried smoking with Uncle Lenny, with a Mallee root that Uncle Lenny had got going for him & with strict instructions to inhale it all the way back with as much gusto as he could manage. Its safe to say that after it finished burning right through to the soles of his feet that he never ever smoked again.

Pa started his schooling whilst at Tungkillo & with that it was time for a haircut. Pa was having none of that & he climbed straight to the top of a tall pine tree where he sat & waited until said haircut was long forgotten, and this happened on more than one occasion. That pine tree still stands today, half way down the main street of Tungkillo on the right hand side.

In the May school holidays of 1937 they all moved to Willaston where they would remain. Pa attended the Gawler Lutheran School next to Zion Lutheran Church, to grade 7 & then completed his only year of high school in 1940. On leaving school at the age of 14, he worked for Opie’s Bakery in Murray Street, 7 days a week & working over 50 hours for which he would earn 15 shillings or a $1.50. Of those 15 shillings, he paid 5 shillings in board, he paid Dad 5 shillings to repay him for a bike he bought Pa, leaving 5 shillings or 50cents for Pa to go to the pictures on a Saturday afternoon & have a whopper of a homemade ice block from left over fruit from Dieckmann’s Deli which was next door to Eudunda Farmers. Pa then went on to work for Law-Smith’s just out of Gawler as a cowboy / farmhand for the next 10 years, where he would milk the cows morning & night, tend to sheep & cattle & do the cropping. 3 days off a month was all he was allowed & he earned 5 pounds & keep per month. Another memory that has stayed with him over the years was when he returned to the homestead from shopping one day, travelling a little too fast down the driveway which was covered in loose gravel & driving into the car shed too fast, he pulled up rather suddenly with the loose gravel spraying off in all directions. Mr Law-Smith, who happened to witness this from the balcony of the homestead, sung out to Pa “if I want the gravel shifted I’ll get the men to do it”.

After Law-Smiths it was onto Parafield airport repairing planes & he then held a milk round for 3-1/2 years, this was followed by a stint with the Gawler Council on general duties & grave digging where in winter time Pa could dig the whole 8 feet without a pick, but never forgot the ladder. He remarked once that he was tall, but not that tall! A paper round was next & for 6-1/2 years he spent his morning’s delivering papers which took in the area east of the South Para River. The papers would be delivered in a stack & Pa would sit there rolling them up & once done would whip a rubber band off of his fingers to hold it in place. Long after he gave up the paper round the rubber bands remained on his fingers as a reminder of those days. Time was then spent at WRE & then Morton Industries, where he was an on road rep specialising in chainsaws & then it was 3 years at Matter’s Real Estate. Pa’s final 20 years of employment were spent at Ames hardware in Murray Street, mainly at the top shop where he could be found behind the counter in his grey dust coat, sitting on his stool & flogging the Royal Flying Doctor cook books to anyone & everyone at every opportunity. In the early days at Ames, he would hand unload the Angaston cement delivery, which was still hot, with elbow high welding gloves & a leather apron, into a small shed.

In his younger days Pa enjoyed playing cricket & football. His cricket days were spent playing for Sandy Creek from 1946 to approx. 1956 & then Gawler Central until his retirement. Highlights included scoring 123 not out at Sandy Creek & a century with Gawler Central. In football he played for Willaston, Roseworthy & Gawler Central & had the joy of playing in a premiership team with all 3 clubs, first in 1948, then 1949 & finally 1953. Pa did play golf on one occasion at an Apex club charity event, but after scoring 27 strokes in the first 2 holes Pa realised he would never be a golf pro! Pa did attempt to get me into golf for a while, but as I was in his words “a bloody cack handed lefty” he proceeded to make a golf club for me to practice with, which was fine till one evening when we were practicing on the Immanuel primary school oval & after I took a swing that Tiger Woods would be proud of, the head of the golf club came flying out, whacking Pa in the shins on its way through. It dropped Pa like a sack of spuds & I was in tears from laughter.

It was during these sporting years that Tessa came on the scene & a friendship was re-kindled (they had met years earlier at primary school) which culminated in their wedding in Adelaide on January 24th 1953. A home was made on Lyndoch Road Gawler, whilst Pa went about building their new home at 13 East Terrace & they moved in to this new home in 1956. In those years of building their new home & not afraid of hard work, Pa was often up in the early hours of the morning, driving a council truck down to the South Para River, hand loading it with just his trusty shovel with the gravel to be used in concreting & construction of the new home, heading back & unloading it at East Terrace & then heading off to work for the day.

Tessa had already had a daughter, Christine, & in 1954 Judith came along & then in 1957 Geoffrey entered the world, completing the family. Later on over the years they were blessed with 8 grandchildren & 10 great grandchildren. After getting married, Tessa drove a school bus for 5 years to help fund the kids schooling & then started nursing during the 1970’s at the Hutchinson Hospital Gawler, where she progressed to be a very good theatre nurse. Tessa retired in her late 60’s after a happy & loving 58 years of marriage Tessa passed away on August 1st 2011.

Volunteering & clubs were a big parts of Pa’s life as well. First with Gawler Apex in the early 60’s, where he was proud of the fact he had a 100% attendance record over 6 years. He enjoyed their working bees, delivering wood to pensioners & collection of Xmas trees in Colin Smith’s truck, with the trees sold to raise money for service projects around Gawler. After this came the motorcycle clubs, first joining with the Gawler Motorcycle Club during the late 1950’s & then briefly with the Keyneton Motorcycle Club in 1969 till 1971, before returning in 2007. He originally joined Keyneton so he could ride in events & during this time, Pa, along with Gawler members like the Haydon’s, led the fight to get Gawler affiliated with the ACU, getting the tick of approval in 1971. In the early days at Gawler he was competition secretary & also the ACU delegate, managing to attend every meeting over the next 5 years. By this time he had discovered the 24 hour reliability trial & an almost lifelong love affair began. Pa first rode the event in the late 1960’s & managed to start in 10 consecutive 24’s overall & also finished at his first attempt. The first bike he rode in the 24hr was the 1968 CZ250, proudly sitting out the front, which came equipped with the most advance lighting system of the time, a 25 watt globe through a 6 volt battery! Pa states that he could almost see across to the other side of the road at night time & he certainly didn’t break any land speed records, especially at night!

At one stage or another Pa was involved with the 24hr organising committee, during his riding years but more so after he gave riding away as he turned his attention to giving back to the sport he loved. He helped organise the measuring & laying out of the track, marking the course, the timing & riders cards & in the early days, making the watch tins for the competitors to carry their pocket watches in, which were hung around their neck during the event. He was also Steward of the 24hr for several years & finally a control keeper before running his now famous secret controls in Weichert’s paddocks. Every year he would suddenly pop up with his secret control, to make sure riders were following the course & towing the line & there he’d be, standing in the middle of nowhere, road signs everywhere, hand outstretched waiting for the rider to hand him his score card & a big sign on his chest stating “call number loud”. Mum & I would furiously write down the riders numbers as they came through & would watch with glee as any novice rider of the event would pull up & proceed to give Pa a high five to his outstretched hand only to be told in no uncertain terms “I want your card not a high five ya nimcompoop”

As the years rolled on & age started to catch up, Pa ceased his control keeping duties & took on a role as an entertainer for want of a better word. Come the 24hr weekend & his 12 months of planning was put in place as Pa would find a quiet back road & set up a campsite on the road side verge & then during the middle of night he would appear dressed as Ned Kelly, Davey Crocket, Charlie Chaplin, an Indian Chief or an old Grandma & the list goes on. I do recall one year when nana was wondering where some of her clothes & hats had disappeared to after that second weekend in July. Pa got no greater thrill than when a rider would pull up & say G’day & Pa could give them some words of encouragement to carry on through the night. I also recall one year when he dressed up as a swagy & went wandering down dirt roads in the middle of the night & proceeded to scare the absolute bejeezus out of everyone he came across.

Watching & spectating was also one of Pa’s pleasures & he had no end of that joy when Geoffrey took up racing & also when son in law Brian came along. Weekends were spent at scrambles, reliability trials, speedway, observed trials, pony expresses & club events, making new friends & enjoying the comradery from within the sport & proudly watching Geoff & Brian do their thing. After Brian passed away, speedway was something Pa just couldn’t handle being around & even speaking of Brian often left him choked up & unable to speak such was his love for him. After this, he tried more than ever to always be there for his family & he enjoyed nothing more than going on camping & fishing trips to the Yorke Peninsula or to the Flinders Ranges & beyond, Mount Crawford forest, staying in shearers quarters way out bush, happily touring the country side in his beloved Toyota land cruiser which seemed to be speed limited to around 70 km/hr. He would have a crack at mending & fixing anything that broke & would go about building things that the family required. At these times he could be found pottering around in the workshop or the back yard & if something was to go wrong, which it invariably did, there would be a sharp “bugger it all” & if us kids were around it brought us immense pleasure to hear this & would send us into hysterics. Often we would run around the yard shouting out “bugger it all” at the top of our lungs until suddenly Pa appeared with a length of garden hose & the ensuring silence meant that order was restored. Other memorable sayings of Pa’s were “schmek goot” for when he was eating something tasty, “make a rabbit fight a bulldog” as he slapped horseradish on a sandwich & one of my favourites these days – “I’d rather go 500 miles north than 50 miles south”, even if it was in that bloody land cruiser at 70 km/hr. Later on, the weekends would be spent following the next generation around on their bikes & there he’d be proudly watching his grandchildren & great grandchildren doing their thing, sitting on his stool at a Trial ready to punch out a score card, smooth talking all the ladies at the events & giving them their flowers, jumping in & out of cars at reliability trials to watch the bikes go past or just sitting back watching the world go by.

There is so much more that could be said of Pa but we’d be here all day & well into the night, we all have our stories to be told. Pa, you were a local legend, a true & thorough gentleman who loved life & the life you lived, sports & bikes, camping & fishing trips away, family, friends, his home & his church, his metal detector & his land cruiser, his blue bib & brace overalls & the occy straps you would wear as belts, you loved it all, your smile was infectious & you have forever left your mark on all us.

You can rest up now, so long & until we meet again old-timer, I will miss you with all my heart forever. Ooroo.

Please <click here> to read Max Graetz' obituary as published in The Bunyip, Wednesday 4th December 2019.

click here for photos of Max

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