Lally Robert (Bob) Thomas
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Also known as: | Bob |
| Date of birth | 23/05/1923 |
| Place of birth | Semaphore |
To read a wonderful account of Bob Lally's life and family history please click here
The Eulogy of the late Mr Bob Lally.
Bob Lally was born at Semaphore on 23 rd May 1923, the only son of Joseph and Daisy Lally. Bob became an orphan when 3 years old and was raised by his paternal Grandparents. Bob was baptised and confirmed at St. Peter and Paul, Gawler and educated at St. Joseph's Convent School. However, he had to leave school when 14 years old to help the family with income. His Auntie Nell gave him a job helping on their farm at Cobera.
Bob came back to Willaston and started working at a grocery store at Willaston, then went to to work at Hogben's general store in Murray Street. After a back injury, he had to seek other work and after studying to improve his education he became a Branch Manager for Sun Alliance Insurance, a job he held for about 20 years.
When he 18 years of age he was called up by the Army and saw active service in New Guinea where he served with the 2/12th Infantry Battalion.
After the war, Bob started a green grocer business with his cousin Laurie while waiting to be do-mobbed from the Army. It was during this time that he first met Ivy Newman who was to become his wife. Dad was determined to marry Ivy but knew that there would be competition since it was after the end of the war. For those who knew Bob, you will see in the photo on the Order of Service, a hint of the Donybrook larrikin that was part of his personality. Perhaps it was this larrikinism that encouraged him to often place some important looking papers on a clip board so that he was able to walk out of the barracks, take the train to Gawler and meet Ivy under the Carab tree at the Newman house. Bob and Ivy were married on the 24th January 1948. Ivy predeceased Bob on 1st February, 2006.
Bob and Ivy had two children, Elizabeth and Michael. In the 1990s Elizabeth and Bob visited Michael's wife, Arun and her family in Thailand and enjoyed the welcome and warmth of his extended family. They had to wait until 2002 to receive a grandchild, also named Bob who quickly became known as “Young Bob” as distinct from “Old Bob”. Old Bob and Young Bob formed a very strong bond and Old Bob penned a book titled “The Lally Story from Old Bob to Young Bob”.
Old Bob was always interested in sports, playing football, bowls and tennis. He was a member of the 1948 Premiership team of the Willaston Donnybrooks A-grade team. Bob used to say that this was the best period for the Donnybrooks. Bob was also a member of the Gawler Rotary Club for 19 years and served as president as well as chairman of the District Student Exchange program. He and Ivy hosted a number of foreign exchange students, including two from Japan – an indicator of his strong ability to forgive, given his active service in PNG.
Bob was always a strong family person but also always willing to help others in need. Anyone who has visited the unit will recall the wall of family pictures going back many generations. He has instilled this same value in his children and grandson.
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