BLACKTOWN ’ S FINEST ...
Take a look at these hard-working hands ! Uncle Wes Marne uses echidna quills to make charming and innovative earrings . Those powerful hands have done much tougher work during his remarkable lifetime . Photo : Kathryn Johnston . by Greg Martin
I shook hands with Uncle Wes Marne after an exhilarating interview and was much taken by his still powerful and work-worn mitts , with which he has toiled for 100 years .
My immediate thought was of the wonderful Eddie Fisher song from the early 1950s – With These Hands (* see inset right / left / below ).
The Uncle Wes Marne story is long - last Anzac Day , he celebrated 100 years of being in this place .
During my 54 years in journalism , I have been privileged to interview many remarkable subjects , but Uncle Wes Marne , well , he ’ s at the top of the heap .
Throughout our long and enlightening interview , I and our photographer , Kathryn Johnston , experienced a wide range of emotions as his life story unfolded .
Our emotions went on a roller coaster ride – surprise , anger , disgust , awe , enlightenment , amusement , sadness , sympathy and admiration .
There is , as they say , “ a book in ” Uncle Wes but as we are restricted to just two pages in your favourite publication , we have to keep his biography to a short story . Let ‘ s get to it ! Wes was born on April 25 , 1922 at Stanthorpe in Queensland – he was the son of Les and Louisa Marne who also provided him with four brothers and three sisters .
Being Aboriginal , like many of First Nations people , much of Wes ’ life was made tough under Australian Governments ’, now let ’ s be honest here , racist “ Apartheid ” system .
But he survived to become a man of whom all who know him – black , white and all shades or colours in between – love , respect and admire .
Self-educated , he is articulate and erudite , has a great sense of humour and possesses the memory of an elephant .
Uncle Wes has packed several lifetimes into his five score years – many of them doing hard yakka as a tobacco farmer , drover and fencer , mainly out bush on either side of the NSW - Queensland border .
He also earned a quid doing stints as a member of the famous Jimmy Sharman Boxing troupe which operated from 1911 until 1971 , thrilling crowds at fairs and shows all over the country . “ Now , that was hard yakka ,” Uncle Wes said . “ As well as taking on blokes from the crowd who fancied their chances of ‘ going a round or two for a pound or two ’, I also had on occasions the misfortune of fighting fellow troupe members .
“ Two of them were also Aboriginals and legends in Australian professional boxing – Jack Hassen and Elley Bennett – Elley did this to me ,” Uncle Wes said , pointing to his vacant bottom gums .
During his long life , his powerful heart was broken and then mended on many occasions .
Where there ’ s life , there ’ s death and the Grim Reaper has done his damnedest to break Wes ’ heart – but to no avail – it keeps on a-beating !
His father and two of his brothers – Les Junior and James , enlisted in World War II – Les in the army and his sons in the navy .
The brothers were both aboard HMAS Perth which was sunk by a Japanese fleet on March 1 , 1942 – 353 crew members lost their lives – the Marne brothers survived but were interned as prisoners of war .
Sadly , James , who sustained horrific injuries to both legs , died in captivity .
In 1946 , Uncle Wes married a Tasmanian lass ,
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6 ISSUE 14 // MAY 2022 theindependentmagazine . com . au BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT