Hughes Ken
| Type of person | Individual |
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HUGHES KEN
Ken Hughes was born in August 1934 in Adelaide, while his family were living in Poochera on the far west of South Australia. Kens father, Taffy Hughes, was from Wales and a foreman ganger on the Nullarbor Railway Track. His Mother, Nellie Lee was living in Kalgoorlie when they met and married.
He was the second child, with a sister and two brothers, and spent his younger life moving from small country town to another small country town. When he was aged 16, and living in Strathalbyn, he became an apprenticed electrician, and spent over twenty years in that trade in Mount Gambier, Salisbury, and New Zealand.
His uncle’s electrical contracting firm had the maintenance electrical contract for the Housing Trust homes in Salisbury North, and was instrumental in the wiring of many of the first homes built in Elizabeth in the early fifties.
Ken met and married Joanne in 1957 in Salisbury, and in 1963, took a position in New Zealand for four years, and so, with his wife and three children, he lived and worked as maintenance electrician for the dairy farms in Paeroa, in the Waikato Valley.
After returning to Australia in 1967, he studied Chiropractic/Naturopathy in Adelaide College, and opened Kiri Health Clinic in Para Hills in 1970, until he moved to the practice on Adelaide Road in Gawler in 1984. He retired in 1999.
With the children all married and moved away, and being country born and bred, he wanted to live in a rural spot, so chose Roseworthy to set up home.
There are now seven grand-children scattered around the country.
Ken was always musical and loved sharing his talents for playing for dances, concerts and entertaining at Nursing Homes, and at 81, he is still playing accordion, harmonica and more recently, the banjo. He loves to perform comedy songs and tell jokes, so he is a welcome addition to the programs of lots of local events around the area.
There are cherished memories of being in Galimaufery Folk Group, with wife Joanne, and Joyce and Stan Fox; and being asked to play for a lot of charitable events for fund-raising and enjoyment, such as Elizabeth Rotary Show, and Hillier Park “Breakaways” shows. He also remembers well the nationwide tours, the TV appearances, and the family get-togethers. For seven years he was also a member of the Gawler based country music band, “Finnagain”
An integral part of Ken’s life has been his belonging to the world wide Baha’i Faith for almost 50 years, and this has led to many overseas trips to visit Baha’is in remote parts of Africa, Papua New Guinea, India, Thailand, and the islands of Fiji and Vanuatu.
During the almost ten years that the Gawler Community Gallery has been in existence, Ken has been part of the support team that occasionally gets called upon in order to keep the lovely old building in shape, to set up the sound system for the official opening ceremonies, and to take regular shifts on the roster as well.
Ken spent many years with the Gawler branch of Community Aid Abroad, and is currently chairman of the ‘Roseworthy Neighbourhood Watch Group, and a member of the Gawler Refugee Reunion Committee, helping to arrange the annual reunions for refugees who have been made welcome to Australia, and who originally settled in Gawler.
Ken and Joanne Hughes have lived for over 30 years in the Gawler area, and treasure those years and the wonderful friendships made during that time.
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