JOHN WALLACE’S
For those who missed it or would like to “hear” it again, here is
the eulogy given at Arthur Wallace’s funeral service by his son
John:
I didn’t say anything about my Dad at his 100th birthday party: There
was no need! The 150+ guests who attended said it all for me. But I
would like to say a few words on this occasion.
THE MAN
I could tell you:
What an amazing son he was: How he helped his Dad every day with
his insulin injections And how he cared for his mom until she died on
her 100th birthday.
What an amazing electrical engineer he was: and the contributions he
made to the Australian Navy
What an amazing husband he was: to his two wonderful wives – Beth
and Margaret; father and stepfather he was to our extended family;
grandfather and great grandfather he was; friend he was to his: Navy
office colleagues; And all his friends at: St Columba's, St Margaret's,
Kangara Waters And of course the men’s shed.
But, let’s face it, I’d be wasting my time. We all know Arthur Wallace
was no ordinary man. He was an amazing man – a giant among men.
HIS LOVE
So rather than tell you about that amazing man, I’d like to tell you what
made him amazing: the substance of the man; not his human form. For
that, I only need one word – LOVE
Dad was a man of great faith: As an engineer, he read the Bible in the
same way as he read any other blueprint. He duly noted the new com-
mandment – that you should love one another – rolled his sleeves up,
and applied it to every facet of his long life.
Dad’s gifts of love are the stuff of legend: Some of that love came
wrapped in wonderful gifts: those Christmas bikes that magically ap-
peared at the end of a long piece of string; that wonderful grand piano.
St Margaret’s News
10
October 2018