Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the funeral of a very special resident of Ingleburn. The passing of any community member generally involves much sadness for family and friends as they come together to celebrate a life, but this funeral marked the passing of a very special man, Arthur Foster, a much loved and long-term resident of Ingleburn. Arthur was also the oldest resident of the area, as he died aged 105. Yes, that is right: Arthur’s date of birth coincided with the birth of our nation—a nation that at that stage comprised 3.7 million people, a young nation of hope and promise.

Arthur William Foster was born on 17 January 1901 in the country town of Hay. He was the youngest of a family of 13 children. At the age of two, his mother died and he was brought up by his father and his older sisters. Arthur’s family moved to Gundagai in his early years and that is where he learnt his trade of being a mechanic. It was here that he met a young lady from Mount Pleasant called Lila Neve, who was his wife for almost sixty years. They were married in Gundagai, where they settled down and started to raise a family of eight children—five girls and three boys. Later they moved to the small town of Coolac, where they spent the next few years. Arthur had a trucking business and also a motor car, truck and farm machinery garage in Gundagai and Coolac. Because of his mechanical engineering abilities, he was well known in the district as ‘Doc Foster’.

They moved to Ingleburn around 1946. They built the family home in Carlisle Street and it was here that they spent the rest of their married life together. Arthur worked as a mechanic at Dairy Farmers and at Burt Watson’s garage in Ingleburn. Later he decided to start his own business and opened Foster’s Ampol Service Station, where he worked tirelessly until he retired in his late seventies.

Arthur was a very strong and disciplined man who had great respect for others. The love and respect that both Lila and Arthur shared served as a beacon to their family. Arthur’s quiet manner hid a very quick wit and a keen sense of humour. He was a kind and caring man and well known throughout his local community. Those who knew him will never forget Arthur’s sayings: ‘You’ll be right,’ no matter how painful and difficult the odds were, and, ‘Can I give you a hand?’—and that was even when he was aged 100-plus.

Arthur certainly loved his sport. In his younger days he was a very keen tennis and cricket player—I understand he was a good left-hand bowler—and he never lost his love for fishing. In the last two of his 105 years he was lovingly cared for by the staff of Camden House nursing home. Arthur had seen off 10 members for Werriwa, two world wars and a century of Australia. What an innings! What an inspiration! May he rest in peace. (Time expired)