Ronan Laurie
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1919 |
| Place of birth | Gawler |
| Principal occupation | Carpenter & Joiner |
| Date of death | 2009 |
LAURIE RONAN, A GENTLEMAN OF GAWLER
Popular identity Laurie Ronan passed away [7 June 2009] – just short of his 90th birthday – but his impact on the town was such he is still remembered fondly.
Born in Gawler on August 30, 1919, the eldest of three siblings, Laurie served in World War II, had a passion for Gawler history and was a volunteer with many local organisations, yet never held a driver’s license!
With the river a prominent background in his childhood, Laurie spent time with mates swimming, fishing and collecting tadpoles, while also swinging from ropes dangling from trees.
His early schooling was at the Good Samaritan Convent in Gawler, until the age of 12, when his parents moved to Mount Gambier through employment.
After leaving school Laurie worked on a dairy farm for Mrs. Burston – tending cows and driving a horse and buggy to market to sell the milk, while also chopping wood, which was an activity he enjoyed and continued doing until into his 70s.
On his return to Gawler, Laurie enlisted into the army and married Lorna Burston at the St Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church, on November 23, 1940.
A ‘Rat of Tobruk’ Laurie also saw WWII service in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and El Alamein, and after being buried alive after a bomb explosion and returning home, joined his battalion in New Guinea.
Part of his duties in the army included being photographer for his unit, which was a skill that served him well later in life through his work with the National Trust in Gawler.
On his return home after the war, Laurie and Lorna worked on Nurrung Station, where their first son John was born, then after a year, again moved back to Gawler, where they had another four children – Colleen, Max, Desmond and David.
They purchased a house on Eighth street, Gawler – home for the next 50 years – and Laurie trained as a carpenter and joiner through a scheme for ex-servicemen. With his newly developed skills he extended the family home from a five-room cottage into a 14-room house.
Carpentry was something Laurie embraced whole-heartily, including becoming a toy maker of note, while his love of “bib and brace” overalls with countless pockets became his trademark choice of clothing – and his trusted pushbike his choice of transportation!
Such was his love of pushbikes, Laurie helped form the Gawler Cycling Club, which he was on the committee of, as well as committees with the local branch of the National Trust and the Gawler Institute, which he was president of in 1969-70 and from 1981 to 1991.
For many years Laurie volunteered one Sunday a month at the National Trust museum, as well as being librarian Mrs. Heinrich’s ‘right-hand man’, setting up various functions including table and chair placements for concerts and weddings, while also chasing overdue books.
And with good mate John Clift’s love of archives at the institute, Laurie’s photographic knowledge become important in helping preserve many of the town’s prints, by copying them and keeping the originals in storage.
“I remember Laurie and I going up onto the institute roof into the box gutter to unblock and remove pigeons etc.,” Mr Clift said.
“His dead pan casual attitude of climbing up to get into the roof cavity is something that would be frowned upon today, with all the occupation, health and safety regulations – it was because we were the youngest and fittest at the time!
“To replace the roof at the back of the National Trust we pulled the iron off and it was like a ramshackle collection of rickety sticks, so we left the sheet iron on to keep it all together.
“Laurie had a flat pan approach to everything and dead pan humour. He used to collect old bikes from different people during the depression, fix them up and give them to people who couldn't afford to buy one – to improve numbers in the cycle club.
“His dedication to the institute and backing up Mrs Heinrich was exceptional – she would never have been able to manage without him. And the National Trust Gawler branch benefitted from his passion.
“We worked together for over 30 years and never had one difference of opinion or argument. He was just that sort of a bloke, very accommodating, so we never had one stoush, ever.”
Laurie is a life member of the local St John branch, where, with his knowledge of horses was an asset while working at Gawler Races and the trots at Gawler and Kapunda. Among his most unusual adventures while on ambulance duty was delivering a baby!
There weren’t many organisations in Gawler Laurie did not assist with in some way, with his active involvement in the St Peter and Paul’s Catholic Parish and membership of the local Probus Club adding to his impressive volunteer resume.
In 1988 he received an Australia Day award for services to Gawler’s heritage, and a decade later gained an Honour award from the National Trust.
Besides his trusty bike, Laurie was well known for beating a well-worn path around Gawler streets on foot, where he gained a reputation as an interesting storyteller, with many tales from his full and interesting life – and arguably he was one of the last great whistlers, where he could hold a tune with the best of them.
By Robert Laidlaw
see more photos of Laurie Ronan click here
References
Memories of Ronan Laurie
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