LOCAL LIFE
ONE OF THE HILLS FINEST ...
As happy as Barry ! June and Barry Locock on their wedding day . Both were thrilled to have found another loving soul in their vintage years . by Greg Martin
Your writer was interviewing Turtle Nursery and Landscape Supplies founder , Barry Locock , for a recent Hawkesbury ’ s Finest column , when in walked his lovely wife , June .
Barry introduced me to June , three of us chatted , during which Barry mentioned – nay , boasted – that June was one of the pioneers of water skiing in this country .
I grabbed the story lead something akin to Killer Kowalski grabbing Mario Milano in a headlock ( old fans of World Championship Wrestling would be aware of the reference ).
I didn ’ t have to wrestle about asking June could I return in a few weeks to interview her for this month ’ s article .
So , I came out of my corner armed with pen and paper , met June in the centre of the “ ring ” - the dining table in the kitchen of the Locock home in Rouse Hill – and the story began to unfold . And what a story ! Research revealed that the very first person to water-ski in this country was Edward Arthur Parker who created his little bit of history at Hen and Chicken Bay in Sydney Harbour in 1934 .
That was only 12 years after American , Ralph Samuelson invented the sport at Lake city , Minnesota .
No doubt the Great Depression and World War II would have limited the number of folk in this country taking up the new-fangled but extremely exciting sport .
June , still a very active 85-year-old , well remembers when she had the honour of becoming the youngest person to take up the new sport in the Hawkesbury .
She would also have been among the first of her sex to water ski in the country .
“ It was towards the end of World War II , and I would have been eight or so when Reg Johnston , another pioneer of the sport began teaching my older brothers , Lawrence and Paul , how to ski off a beach at Sackville Reach ,” June recalled .
“ I wanted in , and eventually Reg and my brothers took me under their wings and soon enough I was up on the skis and having the time of my life .
“ I skied at every opportunity each weekend , being pulled along by whomever had a boat !”
Young June had success in championship events competing against much older rivals , excelling in the tricks and slalom components of the sport .
One of those tricks was waving a flag , balanced on a not very wide stick held by two parallel skiers flying across the water ! The mind boggles ! However , her time swishing along behind powerboats was short lived , retiring from the sport after leaving school and commencing work as a machinist , sewing and cutting blouses for M . L . Morris Pty Ltd in Windsor .
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6 ISSUE 106 // APRIL 2024 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT