Mark - Mark was mum and dad's biggest baby and was the only one that was born with dark hair. There was 15 months between Mark & I so we pretty much did everything together as children we even got the same things except his toys/items were black or blue and mine always pink. Most Christmas mornings would start with my face being tapped, it would be Mark, informing me Santa had been, he even did this to me a few years ago except this time Santa hadn't been, nor had Mark made it to bed, let’s just say he was in fine form, we had a mid-morning flight home to catch and his big sister had her cranky pants on.
One of the things Mark & I loved to do when we were little, was make tunnels in the hay barn, I really don't know how we did this now, the barn was full of hay bales and somehow we would shift them so we could crawl through to the end and back, we even created our own little houses. I can't recall if we played games but I know one thing, we liked to smoke the hay and Mark always seemed to have the lighter.
During the winter we would help our beloved Grandfather feed the cows, which we loved to do. One year Grandfather had made a new carryall, I didn't like it as it would rock side to side and looked like it was going to come off, Mark always assured me it wouldn't "she'll be right" he'd say, not long after, we were feeding the cows one dark morning, we were about to start pushing the hay off then the next thing I heard was Mark yelling at me to "JUMP", of course I was always a bit slow, and the next thing I knew everything was on top of me with cows coming my way. Mark screamed out to Grandfather numerous times, he was a tad deaf and finally got him to stop, he then raced to free me. Once we got home to get ready for school I told Mark not to tell mum & dad as I was worried they would not let us feed the cows and sure enough he didn't, until years later. Mark and Grandfather did a lot together especially after our dear Nan passed, Mark would always go to Grandfathers after school, although Grandfather could get ABC at his house so I think there was a motive.
Our favourite place to holiday was, and always will be, is Saltwater River, from babies we would camp with mum's entire family on the foreshore in front of Ma & Pa's. On Mark's first camping trip he slept the best he ever had since coming home from hospital, as soon as we returned home Mark became the night owl again, which I think now shows that Mark was destined for the outdoors and the night life. As we got a little bigger and over dad taking us to brush our teeth in the saltwater, dad bought our $2 shack. Mum and dad in the double bed and us four children top and tailing on 2 single mattresses. Mark and I were generally the first to rise and off we'd go to hang out with our cousins Andrew and Scott, although Mark and Andrew at times would ditch Scott and I, they thought they were a bit too cool for us. We would build cubbies, swim rain, hail or shine, fish, ride our bikes to the coal mines, we even went as far as the sand dunes and into Nubeena one time. When it came time to leave, Mark would always kick up a fuss, he even did this as an adult, just one more night he'd say, he would try and find another way home, which sometimes he succeeded.
In recent years my brother Wade & his gorgeous partner Kate moved back to Tasmania, I think Mark was in his element to have one of his brothers living back home to take fishing and to have many drunken shenanigans with. Last Christmas our eldest brother Grant & Co made the trek down for a holiday, it was such a beautiful sight to see Mark arranging to take his brothers fishing and to bring home a feast for us all to eat. I will ever be so grateful for this time that Mark got to share with his whole family one last time.
I was always so proud to say Mark was a diver, especially when I moved to Brisbane. I loved to boast that he could get scallops, abalone, salmon, crayfish, etc. Just the other week I took orders from some of my work colleagues of what they would like me to bring back after Christmas.
When something bad happens in life I always try to find a positive because I believe that if you focus on the negative, then the negative becomes you, so the only positive I could find is that Mark is not alone he is with his:-
- Grandparents Nan & Grandfather Little talking angus cows and eating biscuits,
- Pop Adams who will tickle his back,
- Uncle Robert “Mr Fix It” - he always fixed our things,
- his beloved Aunty Bronwyn who will protect her boy,
- cousins Glenn & McKayla to run amok,
- Mr Glover to go shooting with
- and mates Crackers, Damien Direen and brother David.
Baby brother I will always love you and forever be your big bossy sister. May you rest in peace and never be forgotten, our lives will never be the same but your spirit will be with us always xx
One of the things Mark & I loved to do when we were little, was make tunnels in the hay barn, I really don't know how we did this now, the barn was full of hay bales and somehow we would shift them so we could crawl through to the end and back, we even created our own little houses. I can't recall if we played games but I know one thing, we liked to smoke the hay and Mark always seemed to have the lighter.
During the winter we would help our beloved Grandfather feed the cows, which we loved to do. One year Grandfather had made a new carryall, I didn't like it as it would rock side to side and looked like it was going to come off, Mark always assured me it wouldn't "she'll be right" he'd say, not long after, we were feeding the cows one dark morning, we were about to start pushing the hay off then the next thing I heard was Mark yelling at me to "JUMP", of course I was always a bit slow, and the next thing I knew everything was on top of me with cows coming my way. Mark screamed out to Grandfather numerous times, he was a tad deaf and finally got him to stop, he then raced to free me. Once we got home to get ready for school I told Mark not to tell mum & dad as I was worried they would not let us feed the cows and sure enough he didn't, until years later. Mark and Grandfather did a lot together especially after our dear Nan passed, Mark would always go to Grandfathers after school, although Grandfather could get ABC at his house so I think there was a motive.
Our favourite place to holiday was, and always will be, is Saltwater River, from babies we would camp with mum's entire family on the foreshore in front of Ma & Pa's. On Mark's first camping trip he slept the best he ever had since coming home from hospital, as soon as we returned home Mark became the night owl again, which I think now shows that Mark was destined for the outdoors and the night life. As we got a little bigger and over dad taking us to brush our teeth in the saltwater, dad bought our $2 shack. Mum and dad in the double bed and us four children top and tailing on 2 single mattresses. Mark and I were generally the first to rise and off we'd go to hang out with our cousins Andrew and Scott, although Mark and Andrew at times would ditch Scott and I, they thought they were a bit too cool for us. We would build cubbies, swim rain, hail or shine, fish, ride our bikes to the coal mines, we even went as far as the sand dunes and into Nubeena one time. When it came time to leave, Mark would always kick up a fuss, he even did this as an adult, just one more night he'd say, he would try and find another way home, which sometimes he succeeded.
In recent years my brother Wade & his gorgeous partner Kate moved back to Tasmania, I think Mark was in his element to have one of his brothers living back home to take fishing and to have many drunken shenanigans with. Last Christmas our eldest brother Grant & Co made the trek down for a holiday, it was such a beautiful sight to see Mark arranging to take his brothers fishing and to bring home a feast for us all to eat. I will ever be so grateful for this time that Mark got to share with his whole family one last time.
I was always so proud to say Mark was a diver, especially when I moved to Brisbane. I loved to boast that he could get scallops, abalone, salmon, crayfish, etc. Just the other week I took orders from some of my work colleagues of what they would like me to bring back after Christmas.
When something bad happens in life I always try to find a positive because I believe that if you focus on the negative, then the negative becomes you, so the only positive I could find is that Mark is not alone he is with his:-
- Grandparents Nan & Grandfather Little talking angus cows and eating biscuits,
- Pop Adams who will tickle his back,
- Uncle Robert “Mr Fix It” - he always fixed our things,
- his beloved Aunty Bronwyn who will protect her boy,
- cousins Glenn & McKayla to run amok,
- Mr Glover to go shooting with
- and mates Crackers, Damien Direen and brother David.
Baby brother I will always love you and forever be your big bossy sister. May you rest in peace and never be forgotten, our lives will never be the same but your spirit will be with us always xx
