Kevin’s life since then has centred on Tin Can Bay, even meeting his lovely wife Kath at the Tin Can Bay School, although Kath is quick to point out that he was ahead of her!  Kevin was on the organising committee for the school’s 75^th Anniversary celebrations, and notes how much the school has developed since he was one of only 5 or 6 kids in his class.  His clearest memories of school – other than meeting his future wife of course – are of regularly receiving the “cuts” from headmaster Bill Wilson.  “Oh yes, he was good with the cane,” Kevin says. “In all the years at school I never saw that man not immaculately dressed – shoes polished, trousers pressed, and with a shirt and jacket.  The jacket was so he could slip the cane up his sleeve to always have it handy.”

As one of the first students to use the brand new Polley’s school bus service, Kevin continued his education at the Christian Brothers college (now St Patrick’s) in Gympie.  The road to Gympie at the time was still 90% dirt and the journey took over an hour and a quarter, and Kevin recalls always being dropped off late at the five-ways, then having to trudge up the hill to try to get to school in time for second period.  He left school at 16 and was granted a concessional driver’s licence to drive trucks.  He joined his father’s haulage company and ended up doing sand haulage on Fraser Island, until sand mining was stopped on Fraser in 1976.  “And that’s when he was silly and bought a boat”, says Kath.  “A man up the road said ‘wanna buy a boat’ – and he did!”  Since then he has run a successful fishing company, with son Scott now working out on the water and Kevin taking care of the business side of things on land.

Kevin and Kath will be celebrating 42 years of marriage next month, and are glad they had the opportunity to bring up their family in the Bay.  Son Scott still lives in the area with his four beautiful daughters Paige, Madalyn, Nikki and Paris.  Seven-year-old Nikki was in fact delivered at home by Scott himself, and 18-month-old Paris decided to give her family another surprise by being born in the back of the ambulance!  Kevin and Kath’s daughters Jodie and Michelle and foster daughter Karen no longer live in the area but are regular visitors.  Jodie, currently up on holiday from Melbourne with gorgeous 8-month-old daughter Sarah says “It’s so nice to be able to come back here and just chill out.  I never want to go out anywhere and do anything while I am here – I’m more than happy just sitting on the back deck and relaxing with Mum and Dad.”

Kevin’s long involvement with the Bay includes a great deal of fundraising work, with him being awarded Citizen of the Year by Widgee Council (as it was then) in 1982.  Kevin credits the late Nola Bale with arranging many of the successful fundraising events he has been involved with, including his infamous Fishermen’s Ballet performance at the theatre restaurants held to raise money to build the ambulance station.  “Tin Can has always been wonderful at fundraising,” he says. “There is always something going on, and lots of people get involved,” he says.  “You know, I don’t think anyone has lifted more chairs than I have over the years – we used to have to go around to everyone’s houses to borrow chairs for events, and I’ve spent more of my life than I care to remember loading and unloading them!”

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