Charming scene from last week's King and I - Louise Radecker with one of the King's 76? children: a wonderful and memorable performance co-directed by John Penny and Rosemary Carter
John all dressed up for another big success
The photograph of Dad the family likes best
John's family when younger ... his daughters from eldest to youngest, Rebecca, Rachel, Elizabeth and Sarah ----------------
Those readers who have not yet read, in The Chronicle’s “This Weekend” section on Saturday, Merryl Miller’s feature article on John Penny’s life and achievements should do so. This is splendid and moving writing in tribute to a singer, teacher, and theatrical producer whose talents have touched thousands of people of all ages …. The memories that follow here now are those spoken by members of the family at John’s funeral service at St Luke’s last week.
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Mum (Jennifer): John was born on the 10th of December 1941, in Leamington Spa, England. He was a beautiful baby with a pale heart shaped face. The first few years of his life were spent amidst the bombing of his hometown Coventry during the Second World War. He recounted memories of hearing the sirens and heading to the bomb shelters with his mother, Betty whilst his father, Jack was busy working in the armoury factories. During the War, John was sent to live in Great Tew with his extended family whilst his Mother and Father remained in Coventry, working for the War effort.
After losing everything when the family home was bombed, and considering John’s chronic asthmatic condition, Jack and Betty decided to accept the immigration offer and move to Australia with John. Saying goodbye to a country and family, John, aged 7 sang “Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye” on the platform of the train station. His Aunts and cousins to this day remember him always singing as a child.
A huge culture shock was to follow….a six- week boat trip…..being forced to eat copious amounts of salt…arriving in a new country…adapting to a new climate…staying in the immigrant hostel at the base of the Story Bridge in Brisbane…….getting off the train at Murphy’s Creek at midnight and walking through the knee-high paspalum …..fearing giant spiders and other unknown creepy crawlies.
When they first arrived in Toowoomba, the family lived in a house on the corner of North and Ruthven Sts with the Lowe family. John’s sister Susan was born shortly after. John’s father Jack single-handedly built their house in Kate Street while he worked full-time in the railway as a fitter and turner. The family experienced challenges from the very beginning. They had no car, no worldly possessions, and no family support. They bathed in the laundry sink…lived for several years in the single garage with no heating or electricity. He had fond memories of his Mother running meals from the laundry to the garage through the pouring rain with a coat over her head. He was accustomed to hard times but recalled this as a time of closeness with his family.
Schooling at Harlaxton State School was a challenge. A frail boy in an orange flannel coat with an English accent certainly drew the attention of the Aussie kids. His secondary education was at Toowoomba State High School. He then continued on to Kelvin Grove Teacher’s College where he had to ride his pushbike from St Lucia where he boarded to the Kelvin Grove campus every day! John later completed external studies resulting in a Bachelor of Arts degree.
His first teaching post was at Toowoomba South Boys. During the 1960’s he was chosen to move up into the secondary teaching arena and he subsequently taught at Harristown Pittsworth and Concordia. For a short diversion and yet another challenge he taught for 1 year at Marist College in Canberra. He then returned to Toowoomba and taught for a year at Downlands before returning to Concordia to complete his 25 years of service at that school.
His teaching fields were primarily English and Ancient History, however he was required to turn his hand to Music, French, Drama, Art and on the rare occasion, manual arts. (How frightening is that!) While he tried to leave his work at work – the special bonds he formed with colleagues and students alike permeated into our family life, which included numerous staff BBQ’s at our home, and Cadet bivouacs at our property at Highfields.
In the early 1960’s John bought 75 acres of land at Highfields. This was considered to be an outrageous thing to do at that time, after all there was no electricity and no running water. The purpose of this purchase was to help his health and he commenced “wooding” with his parents. Following this he established a small piggery, which he constructed himself on weekends and in any spare time he had outside his real job. This developed into a full-scale project, running some 100 breeding sows.
The vision to provide a higher education for our children led him to another courageous challenge, and the consideration of a business venture – and what a more bizarre choice than a hardware store? His father said “Son – not an iron mongery?? What are you thinking??” This business, the Wilsonton Home Hardware, had its ups and downs over 12 years but was ultimately successfully in fulfilling its purpose. The sale of this business marked the beginning of his official retirement.
His life was a web of creative commitment. His passion for Music, flowers, nature and all of god’s creations was initiated at an early age. God blessed John which such a myriad of gifts.
Elizabeth: Dad’s garden was always a place of solace from his busy life. This passion for gardening was instilled by his parents who were also avid gardeners. Dad always had an amazing garden, every time we would turn around, a new garden bed would be freshly dug. He couldn’t wait to give you a “garden tour” of his newest plants. Buying plants was really the only form of retail therapy he enjoyed.
He was forever showing us the tiniest detail in the wide variety of flowers and plants, marvelling in God’s creation. On any given day he would come in from the garden with a bunch of freshly cut stems and arrange them in a spectacular display.
Dad’s love of flowers blessed so many through his involvement in flower arranging. He has spent countless hours doing floral arrangements for St Thomas’, St James’, St Luke’s and St Bart’s. He was heavily involved in both the Carnival of Flowers and the Camellia Show.
When visiting friends or family there was rarely a time that he would arrive without a floral display in hand.
Sarah: While still a young boy, Dad’s Doctor instructed him to either start swimming or start singing to help his asthma. Dad vividly remembered his first swimming lesson in the middle of winter in the unheated public pool, which brought on a massive asthma attack, surprise, surprise! Thus began his commitment to singing. During his teenage years he worked at a servo to buy his first piano. Prior to this he relied on the generosity of his neighbour, Mrs Frollocks’ who allowed him to practise on her piano.
As teacher, mentor and friend, Madge Chamberlain deeply impacted John throughout his musical career. He sang as a boy soprano in the St Luke’s choir. His voice could be heard on Aunt Dorothy’s program on local radio station 4GR and his recorded rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer” was daily broadcast at the South Boys school assembly. There ensued an extensive solo career. Dad’s beautiful and unique, lyric-tenor voice, “unlike anything you have heard before”, was in high demand for oratorio solos and leading roles in various musicals. Of all the musical genres, Oratorio was his greatest love. His artistic interpretation always resulted in a sensitive and moving performance.
At age 8 he joined the Toowoomba Choral Society, which commenced a lifetime of dedication and involvement, 58 years in fact. He was also involved with the Philharmonic Society and local and state eisteddfodau.
Dad’s impact on the community of Toowoomba was reflected in 1996 when he was awarded an Australia Day Award for his contribution to the cultural scene in Toowoomba (One of the proudest achievements of his career). Dad created a legacy that will live on through everyone he impacted. He realized his abilities and used them to the utmost but remained humble despite reaching great heights.
Dad has conducted numerous choirs of all shapes and sizes. His special gift as a conductor was in making choir a relaxed and enjoyable experience while still maintaining a very high standard of performance. We will never forget as members of his choirs, the life and light that he brought to the music and his expressive face and smiling eyes. He always let you know at the end of each performance how well you had sung – whether it be a delighted thumbs up or an animated grimace! He had an extraordinary ability to work with people of all ages and bring the very best out in them.
He particularly had a passion for encouraging young male singers and in later years branched out into private vocal tuition. Through his gifts he has nurtured many fine young musicians. Numerous lives have been impacted by the opportunities and encouragement that he gave.
Elizabeth: From his love of music flowed a love of theatre. Dad was involved in over 100 musical productions throughout his life. He was so passionate about his productions that he actively lobbied for the Empire Theatre restoration and was a part of the original restoration committee.
In true Dad style, his involvement was completely hands on, from all aspects of performance, direction and design, to painting the smallest detail on a column! He was a doer not a delegator, with the exception of his family – whom he considered to be extensions of himself. This led to countless hours spent together, elbow deep in paint!
Dad’s extensive knowledge of literature and history added authenticity to his creative works. He had an uncanny ability to “see” the whole show before the rehearsals had even begun, from inception to fruition. The highlight of his performing life was no doubt, his role as Jean val Jean in the productions of Les Mis. As a family, we felt that the role was written just for him.
His greatest joy was when we were working alongside him. This meant that his girls were roped into productions from a very young age. Our favourite memory is of the debriefing session, which occurred around the kitchen table after every performance, usually accompanied by tea and bickies. Unknowingly, in between hysterical laughter and hilarious impersonations, a lot of knowledge was imparted to us during these times.
His proudest moments were watching his family develop as performers, artists and directors – clearly his love of music and the theatre are heavily embedded in his girls and his legacy will live on in us.
Mum: John was always a very spiritual person. His journey with God began at an early age. His conviction led him to ride his bike from Kate St near Downlands to St Luke’s Church to attend services every Sunday. Susan recounts going with John on Sundays whilst he played the organ at two services and then visited the Epileptic home to provide a concert for the residents’ enjoyment. This trend of providing music to community organisations continued throughout his life and always brought great pleasure to those involved.
John was always heavily involved in his church from an early age. Throughout his time at St Thomas’ he taught Sunday school, played the organ, read the scriptures, arranged flowers and produced plays. The opportunities and encouragement he was given in this parish fostered the passions of his life.
We would always laugh about John’s strong opinions regarding the enunciation and projection of the readings. He loved traditional hymns and we remember fondly how he would spontaneously break into harmony.
When we joined St Bart’s Parish his relationship with God deepened and he developed close friendships within the church family. Richard’s teaching and ministry was instrumental in bringing a newfound excitement and strength to John’s faith.
Rachel: Dad’s greatest love was a match made in heaven. His wife Jennifer was the love of his life. Mum and Dad celebrated their 37th year of marriage only two weeks ago, with a handpicked bunch of violets from the garden. Together they built a home and established a life together and 4 Beautiful daughters were born in quick succession. Mum was the backbone and support for all of Dad’s endeavours. Her gifts and talents complemented his, forming a perfect partnership. They were united in their parenting and developed a real sense of family. An open door policy created a sense of belonging and acceptance for all.
In recent years, Mum and Dad have fulfilled lifelong dreams of travelling together and Mum has many great memories and experiences of these special times together.
Rebecca: The family was fortunate that dad’s chosen career enabled him to spend time at home with us. Dad involved the entire family in all that he did, allowing us so much time together as a family. We all have fond memories of the annual family holiday to Caloundra, walks on the beach and ‘sing-a-longs’.
Although his schedule was busy, Dad always had time for a tickle fight to the point of hysteria. We have many memories of him laughing so hard that tears were flowing from his eyes, his faced turning a brighter shade of red as he reached for his asthma spray.
Dad’s gentle nature enabled us to exist in a house with little conflict, and he was forever tolerant of sharing the bathroom with his 5 girls. He was delighted when his 4 son in laws came along and helped to tip the balance…and was greatly proud of his 2 grandsons. He coped admirably with the constant chatter and we always knew if they had overstepped the mark when the volume on the TV or stereo gradually increased. Dad was able to find a little solitude by immersing himself in a good book or soaking in the bath.
Many happy times were spent around the dinner table and dad was a great lover of food. Every special event or holiday was recalled with a detailed account of every meal that was enjoyed. He could always be found sneaking a wedge of cheese, eating a piece of fruit or picking in the pantry for a ready snack, all of which he shared freely with his beloved dogs.
Dad was devoted to his dog and could often be found in his armchair with his dog Sam in his lap. In his retirement, he relished his early morning walks with Sam and would often return with hilarious stories of Sam’s adventures with the local duck and bunny communities (fear not, no animals were harmed).
Sarah: Dad’s spirit was younger than his years and he would always be drawn to children and animals. Rachel recalls him putting Sam on his lap for a swing and a ride on the slippery slide. His love of animals however, did not extend to the family cat ‘Tilly’. Elizabeth & I recall a moment when he was practicing his top B flat for Les Mis. As he hit the top note, the cat launched from behind a door attacking his ankle. In his shock and rage he chased her and tried to drop-kick her out of the door, which resulted in him kicking the door frame and almost breaking his toe…not one of his finer moments!
Dad has always had an uncanny knack of being able to compartmentalize, we often marveled at his ability to ‘switch off’ when it came time to sleep. He was renowned for falling asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow and it was no wonder with such a full life.
Although he had a very public life, Dad was a very shy and private man, and even though he was gifted with words, he was a man of few. As a father in times of crisis, it was always a warm hug and words so profound and meaningful that it brought clarity and hope to any situation.
Rebecca: Dad never forgot his family in England, and his cousin Clive has said that “John was one of life’s gentlemen, it was a great honour to know him, the world has lost a wonderful man”.
Dad will be with us forever in so many ways. Every time we smell a flower or take a walk in a garden, when we take a long bath or drink tea with honey, when we hear beautiful singing or watch a performance, every time we hear a rustle in the pantry or a small child giggle, when we as sisters look at each other, he will be with us.
In putting these words together we realise that we have only scratched the surface. Dad lived a full and active life, a life of colour. He was so much to so many and his passing will leave a void in many lives…a great man…a humble man…a man of grace
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