My Jack Of All Trades Dad

I grew up in Condobolin, and loved it. It was a great place to raise kids. We had six children in our family; we were blessed. I never thought much about Dad growing up outside Griffith on the farm. My grandfather, Charles Haddon, and his wife Phoebe, moved to the area when my father was one year old. They worked on a farm called Myall Park and Dad, when he was five, went to school at Myall Park where he stayed until he was 12 years old and left school to work on the farm with his parents.

My dad was a jack of all trades when he was a man. A gun shearer, a truck driver, a welder, a farm hand, a fencer, a drover, a mechanic, a butcher, just to name a few. He was a good dad, always had time to play a bit of French cricket in the backyard, or cards on rainy days. I learnt a lot from him. He was a kind and loving father and an honest and hardworking bloke.

He moved back to Condo as a 16 year old lad, with his parents, so I never really thought about him being from anywhere but Condo.

Now, all these years later, I’ve moved to Griffith with my family. My husband and I thought it would be a good place to raise our children. Now I often think about being from here, having roots here as well as my family being here for the last 14 years. I also have history with Dad from the district.

He loved to go carting here in Griffith. It was one of his favourite pastimes as a young lad. I’m just happy to have some connection with him and his past, even if it’s only in a small way.

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• Father's Day