Remembering the late Harry Payne
For almost six decades, Harry Payne was a valued member of the Donald community, leaving a lasting legacy through his work, friendships and community service.
Harry was born in 1929, the only child of an English migrant couple. The family lived in Yarraville, which was close to his father’s employment as a weaving technician/textile designer at Dickies Towels. Harry attended local government schools for eight years before moving to Wesley College in 1943, where he matriculated in 1946. As a boy who grew up in a western suburb, Harry was a keen supporter of Footscray in the VFL and attended its first premiership at the MCG in 1954.
He spent four years completing a Law Degree at Melbourne University and then worked for a number of law firms. During this time, he met Bev. They became engaged in 1953 and were married three years later. The young couple moved into a new home in Rosanna, where their first child, Rod, was born in 1957. Their second son, Derek, was born in Donald in 1958.
Harry was interested in becoming a partner in a legal practice and, at that time, was offered a partnership in Oakley Thompson’s Chambers in Donald. After serious discussion, the couple decided to “give it a go for 10 years”. They stayed for 58. They developed a circle of friends who shared similar interests in music, fine food and wine, and the community.
Harry worked as a solicitor in Donald and district and was proud of the fact that he was able to service generations of the same families. He kept up with developments in law through his membership of the Law Institute of Victoria and maintained contact with local colleagues via his membership of the Wimmera Mallee Law Association. Harry retired from his legal practice in 1990.
During their years in Donald, both Bev and Harry were deeply involved in a wide range of community activities. They were active members of the Music, Literature and Arts Society Drama Group, the Lions Club, the Golf Bowls Club (where Harry was a member of three Division 1 premiership teams in the early 2000s), the Bridge Club and Probus. He held office in all of these bodies.
Harry was a member of the Donald Primary School Council for four years and of the local Masonic Lodge. He also had a life-long interest in stamp collecting and in gardening, with a special interest in gladioli.
Probably the most enduring contribution Harry has made to the Donald community was his major role in the establishment of the Johnson-Goodwin Memorial Homes.
He was chairman of a committee set up in 1969 to investigate using the $288,500 bequest from the estate of Mrs Ruby Goodwin to set up an aged-care facility in Donald. That bequest would have bought 18 Melbourne houses at that time. The committee had volunteered to do an immense amount of work. Initially, there were issues with the bequest, which Harry was able to resolve successfully. Then there was a thorough planning process, which included visits to a range of existing facilities to get ideas.
The committee was able to secure a $383,000 grant from the Commonwealth Department of Social Security for the project. Harry was involved in the selection and purchase of a suitable block of land, in the appointment of an architect, in obtaining the relevant approvals, the letting of the contracts and the monitoring of progress of the project.
In the first four years of the project, Harry was both president of the Board and treasurer. He continued as treasurer for a further eighteen years and was a member of the Board for a total of thirty-three years. The facility today is very highly regarded in the area and is an enduring monument to the dedicated service of its founding committee.
Harry and Bev moved to Bellarine Lakes Village in 2015. After a short illness, Harry died in the Geelong Hospital on August 4, just a week short of his 97th birthday.
