Vale MOBI Garth Whelan...

Hippy Chippy · **Posted:** Fri Oct 28, 2005 10:33 pm

During a phone call from Ian G. 'Iggy' Carter, 14th MOBI Intake Chippy just a couple of weeks ago, Ian informed me that Garth Whelan, also from the 14th MOBI Intake, and like so many other ex-NAVY personnel, was suffering from the insidious and unfortunately, usually terminal disease of Mesothelioma, Ian then followed up with this sad e-mail...

Talking to Garth today.

He has aked me to convey his, Jenny's, Shae's & Bree's sincere thanks to all those nice people who sent cards etc. because there is no way possible that he can thank everyone himself.
He said .."I was overwhelmed at the number of people who cared".

Photos (below) show;
- Garth & Jenny some years back now - the last time I saw them at my home near Mudgee.
- Garth at "SPROGDOM"

Garth is currently on 20 pills/day. He is taking steroids to help him breathe better but still has trouble just talking.
He is living back at home now which is close to Noosa Hospital and loves to get some exercise in the pool at the Hospital but has trouble getting from the car to the pool.
Very sad.

Ian

Sadly, I received this from Ian this morning...

Sad news everyone,

Garth Whelan, ERA

January 1963 (14th MOBI) Intake
passed away on 27th October 2005 from Mesothelioma and other complications.

Garth along with Paul Smith signed on from New Guinea. He spent most of his post NIRIMBA years looking after minesweepers and those other things called LCH's operating out of "WATERHEN".
Garth's post Navy years were spent making bullets at GYMPIE in Queensland. I think the brand name is TAIPAN. I believe that company relied and survived on Garth's ability to perform to exacting standards in his trade.

During my last telephone conversation with Garth he asked me to get on the "Net" to thank sincerely all those caring people who sent him cards etc as it was impossible for him to do so in his condition. He became very emotional when asking me to do this for him and so did I.

Thank God Garth is no longer suffering the trauma associated with this dreadful disease. Unfortunately the suffering continues for his devoted Wife Jenny & their two beautiful girls.

Garth was a great bloke, a fair dinkum, quiet Family man and a good mate whom you could rely on totally.
Garth became my "Other Brother" over the years at NIRIMBA and afterwards when he lingered longer at my Mother's home at Sydney - Garth's and a few others "approved address".

Mum moved to Queensland when I bought the home off her after the NIRIMBA years and Garth somehow remained in the home.
A few more years went by and Garth was still in the home.
When Elaine & I were married it seemed like we were moving in with Garth because somehow he managed to stay on in the home helping me to renovate.

Garth was a great help in so many ways to Elaine and I back then. We and all our civilian friends appreciated his company and his infectious laugh.

Garth was the sort of bloke who would would always quietly give back more than he received in the most thoughtful and considerate ways.

One interesting thing he did was to wean Elaine and I off sugar in our tea without us even knowing. He did this by taking on the role of making the tea after dinner while he lived with us and painstakingly reduced the amount of sugar in our tea over time till one day he put our previous mandatory two sugars in our tea and we couldn't drink it.

Interestingly, Paul Smith, Garth's other New Guinea/ERA cohort is now living part-time near me now just out of MUDGEE NSW.

Garth has requested a private funeral attended by Family only.

Garth, mate, your friendship impacted on my life profoundly in those early years and I am all the better for knowing you.

Ian

Our thoughts go out to Jenny, Shae and Bree and those you've left behind, richer for the experience of knowing you...
Rest in Peace Garth [-o<

Hippy Chippy · **Posted:** Wed Nov 02, 2005 4:59 am

I was Cc'd into this e-mail to Ian Carter last night, and reprint it here with Paul Smith's permission...

Ian,

I'm sure that we all will feel the loss of Garth. The first time I saw him was the day he started at Port Moresby High School in 1961. I remember that until he arrived I was the tallest boy in the school, not hard as there were only four boys in our class and we were the senior class at that time. Anyway he became the other Prop in the rugby team and we made a pretty good team. Played for Papua School Boys and we sort of stood out as nearly all the rest of the team were locals.

His family lived in Wewak at that time. I think he came from a broken home, as I did, so we had a lot in common. We even shared the same girlfriend for a while, girls were also in short supply - there were seven girls in our class. I had the unfortunate job of telling Trish about Garth going, she will spread the word through the rest of our class, most of who are now living overseas.

We both talked incessently all through 1962 about joining the Navy and applied at the same time. We undertook all our examinations at the main army base in Moresby and came down to Australia together on Friday 10th. January at about 8 at night, arriving at Nirimba at around 10PM. We were put in accomodation near the old Senior Sailors Messes. It was mid summer but we were both freezing, it was cold after Moresby and we did not have any warm clothes.

A giant of a man, Petty Officer Knobby Clark, came down to the cabin we were in and took us to breakfast in the PO's Mess. Very rubbery eggs and grey looking mince, but it was food and we were starving.

We had not signed on then of course and had not been in an Australian city or town for years. Knobby arranged for us to go to Sydney for the day. We visited my brother on HMAS Vampire and then walked around the city - all these white shelias - we had never seen so many girls. Ended up at the pictures. Saw The Guns Of Naverone at a theatre near Central Station. Caught a train back to Nirimba, it was our last bit of freedom for three months.

The rest of the new first term arrived on Sunday, but we were not part of the goings on that day, we still had not signed on the dotted line. Knobby was waiting for us when we left the Captain's Office on Monday and left no doubt in our minds that we were now in the Navy. It was the first time I ever heard the expression "come here my little flower".

The rest of our time in the service is common knowledge to us all. Garth was a good mate, someone you could talk to and you knew that he knew how to keep things private. He always was good with his hands and became a bloody good tradesman. I always thought he would be one of the ones to become an officer, but events were not to allow that.

Anyway all I can say about Garth is that he was a good bloke and he will be missed.

Regards

Paul Smith, Baulkham Hills, NSW

Vale MOBI Garth Whelan...

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