Dick Petrikas – goodbye , farewell and amen
by Greg Martin
“ Each and every one of us at the Hawkesbury Independent are shattered to learn of the passing of the amazing Dick Petrikas ,” said the magazine ’ s publisher , Julie Ryan .
Sadly , so sadly , Dick passed away on February 2 , at the age of 83 .
“ When we published our first magazine back in 2010 , Dick Petrikas Pty Ltd was among the first local businesses to support us with their advertising ,” Julie explained .
“ Dick and his business have been with us in every edition since – all 142 of them !
“ But Dick Petrikas meant more to our Independent staff than the advertising dollar he spent with us .
“ Dick was a highly-respected and much-admired businessman , renowned for his hard work and his honesty in business and life in general . He was a devoted family man and a person who gave much of his time here to improving the lot of his fellow citizens .
“ We could use so many words to describe Dick Petrikas , but I think ‘ dinkum bloke ’ best sums him up .”
It was Dick who , aged just 10 , persuaded his mother , Anna , and younger sister , Erika – his father had passed away when he was just three – that they should migrate to Australia from Germany where they had fled from their native Lithuania in advance of the Russian army at the end of World War II .
“ Mum wanted to go to England , but
I looked at a map of the world and there was this huge country with a population of less than eight million ,” Dick recalled .
“ It was that , and movies I had seen starring Chips Rafferty . His movies were all about the outback and I just loved the wide , open spaces ”.
The little family arrived in Tennyson from Scheyville Migrant Hostel in 1950 and have resided there ever since .
After attending Richmond Rural School , Dick entered the workforce as soon as he could – probably 14 years and 10 months and commenced a job as a jack-of-all-trades farmhand for local farmer , Zethan McMahon .
In 1960 , Dick commenced a tractor contracting business , built water tank stands , did fencing – he could turn his hand to anything .
In 1963 he became the Hawkesbury dealer for McCulloch Chain Saws – the catalyst for him developing his business into what it is today .
Dick and his wife , Julia , met through her brother , Bernard , and married in 1959 . Dick says it was a marriage “ made in Heaven ’ – and the pair became loving and inspirational parents to five children , Chris , David , Merien , Greg and
A winning team for 63 years in business , parenthood and love – Julia and Dick Petrikas .
Stephen and being an adored Nan and Pop to their children .
Dick joined the Tennyson Bush Fire Brigade in 1954 , became its captain in 1975 and remained at the helm until 2000 when he handed over the reins to Chris , who had been a member of the brigade since he was 14 .
Chris took over the captaincy from his father and was recently awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal .
Dick was awarded a 50-Years Long Service Medal in in 2003 and in March 2014 , received his a 60-Year Long Service Medal from a grateful Rural Fire Service .
On behalf of Julie and my Hawkesbury Independent colleagues , I offer our heartfelt condolences to Julia and the family . Rest in peace our old friend , rest in peace .
World ’ s longest water ski race starts in Windsor
For the first time since 2019 , hundreds of competitors and spectators will descend onto Governor Phillip Park on 26 and 27 March for the running of the annual Price & Speed Hawkesbury 120 Water Ski Race .
The Hawkesbury 120 is the world ’ s longest water ski race and it ’ s run right here , in the Hawkesbury .
Competitors race the 60 kms from Windsor to Wisemans Ferry and then return home another 60 kms to Windsor . It is one of the toughest endurance races , with competitors reaching up to speeds of 120 mph . The last winner of this event completed the course in an eye watering 41 minutes and 9 seconds .
On the Saturday , the Veterans , Disabled , Social , Parents & Partners and Under 10 years old classes compete , followed by the Price & Speed Team Challenge , where all boats compete in a shootout for pole position for the big race on Sunday .
The Hawkesbury 120 attracts competitors from all over NSW , Victoria and Queensland .
This year ’ s event features exhibition races by the Vintage and Veterans Powerboat Club and also a jet ski display . There will be food trucks , kids rides , a bar , a live band and DJ Elvin , a local legend , to keep everyone festive .
Everyone welcome . Entry is $ 10 per adult or $ 30 for a family . For details visit the Hawkesbury 120 Ski Race Facebook Page .
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THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 142 // MARCH 2022 5