Vaughan James Lavelle
The family of Vaughan Lavelle have created this memorial website to share the many images of Vaughan, taken throughout his life, to share with those who loved him, and to keep his memory alive for his cherished grandchildren
Details
W e will add more photos and videos of Vaughan as time goes on. If you would like to listen to a memorial playlist for Vaughan, please use the QR code in the Photo Gallery
Eulogy
Please see the 'Memory Wall' tab to read Vaughan's Eulogy
Gallery
Memory wall
Part 1 - EULOGY OF VAUGHAN LAVELLE
by Trudy Lavelle
Vaughan was born at Kyogle on 10th June 1951, to Ollie and May Lavelle. A younger brother to Rhonda, and soon to be older brother to Kyme & Kraige. The family lived on their property, Bundgeam, at Terrace Creek, in the peaceful hills behind Old Grevillea adjoining the Border Ranges National Park. Initially, they ran a dairy, and later switched to grazing Hereford beef cattle. Some house cows were kept, and with the pigs, poultry, and substantial veggie garden, they were able to feed the family off the farm during the hard times, and continuing for many years into Ollie & May’s old age.
Vaughan was a favourite of Ollie’s father Horace, his grandfather, who shared the farm with the family, but lived in Lismore, visiting every second week or so. When Pop Horace would visit, he’d bring a bag of lollies for Vaughan in exchange for Vaughan’s intel on what of Horace’s belongings Ollie had been using at the farm. It was fairly often you’d hear Vaughan report to Horace “Dad’s been using your saddle!” and other such things.
On one occasion, Horace had recently bought himself a pair of lovely, new gumboots & had left them at the farm for his future use. Ollie needed to pull on a pair of boots one day, and in his usual haste, he grabbed Horace’s new gumboots and, with a flood threatening, wore them down to the creek to see to his cattle work. Needing to cross the creek, and knowing Horace would see if his new boots had been under water, he took off the gumboots leaving them on the banks. He got busy hunting cattle, and ended up forgetting about the boots. That night, the creek came up after heavy rain, and Horace’s new gumboots were washed away. Horace came to visit shortly after that.
“What’s been happening at the farm Vaughan?” Horace asked, as he passed the boy his bag of lollies. Before Horace had even got through the front gate, Vaughan reported “Dad’s lost your new gumboots! They got washed away in the flood”. Ollie could be heard saying “I’m gonna kill that little bastard!”
Vaughan and his siblings attended Bundgeam School, which sat on a parcel of land adjoining the farmhouse - a school that was created by their great-grandmother, Sarah Lavelle, who campaigned and fundraised for the building of a school in the district in 1912. Bundgeam school became Bundgeam Pre-school, and proudly continues to this day. Over 50 Lavelle kids attended Bundgeam school over the years.
Vaughan was a sensible child, who did well in school. He had an interest in History, was a confident public speaker, and excelled academically. His natural leadership qualities came through in primary school, as he took charge of organising various adventures with his mates, including fishing expeditions into Grevillea, where they would all meet on Vaughan’s front lawn before dawn on their pushbikes, before making the 10km journey to Grevillea to go perch fishing. He was only aged around 11 or 12 at the time.
Vaughan had a keen interest in hunting as well as fishing, and as a child, would often be up in the scrub of Bundgeam, hunting with his cousin Gary and mates from Old Grevillea. Vaughan was the hunter of the family.
Continued below...
by Trudy Lavelle
Vaughan was born at Kyogle on 10th June 1951, to Ollie and May Lavelle. A younger brother to Rhonda, and soon to be older brother to Kyme & Kraige. The family lived on their property, Bundgeam, at Terrace Creek, in the peaceful hills behind Old Grevillea adjoining the Border Ranges National Park. Initially, they ran a dairy, and later switched to grazing Hereford beef cattle. Some house cows were kept, and with the pigs, poultry, and substantial veggie garden, they were able to feed the family off the farm during the hard times, and continuing for many years into Ollie & May’s old age.
Vaughan was a favourite of Ollie’s father Horace, his grandfather, who shared the farm with the family, but lived in Lismore, visiting every second week or so. When Pop Horace would visit, he’d bring a bag of lollies for Vaughan in exchange for Vaughan’s intel on what of Horace’s belongings Ollie had been using at the farm. It was fairly often you’d hear Vaughan report to Horace “Dad’s been using your saddle!” and other such things.
On one occasion, Horace had recently bought himself a pair of lovely, new gumboots & had left them at the farm for his future use. Ollie needed to pull on a pair of boots one day, and in his usual haste, he grabbed Horace’s new gumboots and, with a flood threatening, wore them down to the creek to see to his cattle work. Needing to cross the creek, and knowing Horace would see if his new boots had been under water, he took off the gumboots leaving them on the banks. He got busy hunting cattle, and ended up forgetting about the boots. That night, the creek came up after heavy rain, and Horace’s new gumboots were washed away. Horace came to visit shortly after that.
“What’s been happening at the farm Vaughan?” Horace asked, as he passed the boy his bag of lollies. Before Horace had even got through the front gate, Vaughan reported “Dad’s lost your new gumboots! They got washed away in the flood”. Ollie could be heard saying “I’m gonna kill that little bastard!”
Vaughan and his siblings attended Bundgeam School, which sat on a parcel of land adjoining the farmhouse - a school that was created by their great-grandmother, Sarah Lavelle, who campaigned and fundraised for the building of a school in the district in 1912. Bundgeam school became Bundgeam Pre-school, and proudly continues to this day. Over 50 Lavelle kids attended Bundgeam school over the years.
Vaughan was a sensible child, who did well in school. He had an interest in History, was a confident public speaker, and excelled academically. His natural leadership qualities came through in primary school, as he took charge of organising various adventures with his mates, including fishing expeditions into Grevillea, where they would all meet on Vaughan’s front lawn before dawn on their pushbikes, before making the 10km journey to Grevillea to go perch fishing. He was only aged around 11 or 12 at the time.
Vaughan had a keen interest in hunting as well as fishing, and as a child, would often be up in the scrub of Bundgeam, hunting with his cousin Gary and mates from Old Grevillea. Vaughan was the hunter of the family.
Continued below...
September 30, 2024
Part 5 (final)
He didn’t mind the odd prank, once catching a baby wild piglet with his mate with Danny Chelman on one of many hunting trips, letting it loose in the shower with little Clinton and Christopher when they were about 6 or 7 years old, to much squealing by both the pig and the boys. Being around him was always lots of fun.
In1994, at just 41 years old, Kay sadly passed away. The loss was felt deeply by all, and set Vaughan on a path of change. He shortly accepted a position with Tursa in Lismore, and later, in Casino, with a few years break in-between while he managed Windara in Casino.
Vaughan married Sharon in 1999, and became step-father to her five boys, Ben, Caleb, Micah, Dan and Josh, aged between 2 and 12 initially. He set about teaching the boys to shoot and fish, as he had with Trudy and Clinton. Vaughan enjoyed the connection with his in-laws, the extended Wilton family, and loved his time spent at Hat Head and Cessnock with them, especially all the fishing.
In 2005, Vaughan became a grandfather for the first time with the birth of Ethan, and took to the role with great gusto. Much planning went into Poppy adventures, and welcoming a further 5 grandchildren over his lifetime brought him great joy. His grandchildren were at the centre of his universe. He delighted in spending time with them, cooking them extravagant, well planned out after-school-snacks and meals, attending grandparents’ day events and other functions at their school. He loved to attend their sporting events, coming to watch Ethan play soccer, Oliver play football, and to Harper’s ballet concerts. He had holidays at Clint’s place, and loved to spend time with his youngest grandkids, cook them special meals, and go shopping for his favourite seafood, especially king prawns! He enjoyed many facetime video calls with his littlest grandkids, and his room was adorned with many colourful pictures, drawings and cards from Mahala, Fox and Rio, which he loved. He was one proud Poppy Vaughan.
With recurring brain tumours, invasive neurosurgeries, and various subsequent medical conditions, Vaughan ceased work in 2009 as his health deteriorated. Being unable to work, and then drive, was frustrating and devastating to him.
In his final years, he longed to return to live on the family farm at Bundgeam, and his thoughts were never far away from his country home.
Vaughan loved human connection, mateship, and valued meaningful relationships with others. To know that Vaughan touched the lives of so many, as shown by the number of you who have attended this service, brings great comfort to the family. We thank you.
He didn’t mind the odd prank, once catching a baby wild piglet with his mate with Danny Chelman on one of many hunting trips, letting it loose in the shower with little Clinton and Christopher when they were about 6 or 7 years old, to much squealing by both the pig and the boys. Being around him was always lots of fun.
In1994, at just 41 years old, Kay sadly passed away. The loss was felt deeply by all, and set Vaughan on a path of change. He shortly accepted a position with Tursa in Lismore, and later, in Casino, with a few years break in-between while he managed Windara in Casino.
Vaughan married Sharon in 1999, and became step-father to her five boys, Ben, Caleb, Micah, Dan and Josh, aged between 2 and 12 initially. He set about teaching the boys to shoot and fish, as he had with Trudy and Clinton. Vaughan enjoyed the connection with his in-laws, the extended Wilton family, and loved his time spent at Hat Head and Cessnock with them, especially all the fishing.
In 2005, Vaughan became a grandfather for the first time with the birth of Ethan, and took to the role with great gusto. Much planning went into Poppy adventures, and welcoming a further 5 grandchildren over his lifetime brought him great joy. His grandchildren were at the centre of his universe. He delighted in spending time with them, cooking them extravagant, well planned out after-school-snacks and meals, attending grandparents’ day events and other functions at their school. He loved to attend their sporting events, coming to watch Ethan play soccer, Oliver play football, and to Harper’s ballet concerts. He had holidays at Clint’s place, and loved to spend time with his youngest grandkids, cook them special meals, and go shopping for his favourite seafood, especially king prawns! He enjoyed many facetime video calls with his littlest grandkids, and his room was adorned with many colourful pictures, drawings and cards from Mahala, Fox and Rio, which he loved. He was one proud Poppy Vaughan.
With recurring brain tumours, invasive neurosurgeries, and various subsequent medical conditions, Vaughan ceased work in 2009 as his health deteriorated. Being unable to work, and then drive, was frustrating and devastating to him.
In his final years, he longed to return to live on the family farm at Bundgeam, and his thoughts were never far away from his country home.
Vaughan loved human connection, mateship, and valued meaningful relationships with others. To know that Vaughan touched the lives of so many, as shown by the number of you who have attended this service, brings great comfort to the family. We thank you.
September 30, 2024
Part 4
With Clint inheriting Vaughan’s natural sporting abilities, weekends were soon spent watching Clint successfully compete in various sports with great, fatherly pride. Many a grand final was attended, and Vaughan had to make room on the trophy shelf for the many that Clint now achieved.
While Clinton played first grade rugby for the Casino Bulls, Vaughan had a brief stint as a stand-in Rugby Union coach for the Reserve Grade team for a match or two, despite having never played Union in his life. His coaching style was unconventional, with him using clay target shooting analogies, and emotion-charged pre-game speeches to rival Tommy Raudonikis. The bar was set low, as the team hadn’t had a win all season. Leading into that game, Vaughan had a strange game plan. He told them “I want you to go out there, and kick a field goal in the first 5 minutes. And then I want you to kick another field goal!!”
Bewildered, the players followed their coach’s instructions, and indeed kicked a field goal in the beginning minutes of the game. It may have been so bizarre that it threw the opponents off their game, but Vaughan’s strategies worked, and the Bulls team had a win for the first time of the season. That night they celebrated like they’d won the grand final, earning Vaughan the title of “Super Coach!”, etching him in Bulls history, and a folklore tale for years to come. It also held him in much endearment to the young players.
Vaughan went on many adventures with his mates, hunting wild pigs out west, chasing deer around Tenterfield, fishing down at Iluka and Ballina, and the boys’ trip of a lifetime to the Northern Territory, where they obtained a permit to spend time camping inside Arnhem Land with the locals, catching Barramundi, herding wild Buffalo by helicopter and jeep, and hunting. As the kids grew older, Clinton would accompany Vaughan on hunting trips with Vaughan’s like-minded mates and their sons - more adventures were had, memories made, and the legacy handed down to the next generation.
While Vaughan enjoyed many activities, mateship was at the heart of everything he enjoyed. He wasn’t one to go shooting or fishing alone, and every activity always involved doing it alongside his mates. His desire for genuine, human connection remained strong throughout his whole life, and saw him develop many friendships and connections, as evidenced by the amount of lives he touched.
In around 1990, Vaughan accepted a redundancy from Australia Post, moving on to new challenges and taking up the Manager role with the newly formed SkillShare, a training facility for long-term unemployed in Casino – then beginning his encore career working in this field. Vaughan was a doer, and quickly got to work securing funding for the upgrade of the business facility from an old grain shed, to an upgraded modern office and education facility, and grew that business helping many to gain employment along the way.
Vaughan was a community man. He enjoyed volunteering for various committees and sitting on various boards. He was a diplomat, and a calming personality. He had an uncanny ability to pull someone into line, while using humour to take the sting out of it and not cause offence. He was definitely NOT the disciplinarian to his kids, but rather, the parent you went to when Mum said no.
Vaughan was hilarious, and very funny. He had a joke for every occasion, a ridiculous memory for all those jokes, and would recount hilarious stories from his past – he was such a great story-teller. He loved music, and made up songs for everything - the kids’ least favourite being the “Get out of bed it’s time for school” song, but a favourite being the song about baiting your fishing hook with a worm, including where you insert the fishing hook to begin. He loved to joke about shooting the Easter Bunny at easter time, despite making the kids and cousins bawl.
With Clint inheriting Vaughan’s natural sporting abilities, weekends were soon spent watching Clint successfully compete in various sports with great, fatherly pride. Many a grand final was attended, and Vaughan had to make room on the trophy shelf for the many that Clint now achieved.
While Clinton played first grade rugby for the Casino Bulls, Vaughan had a brief stint as a stand-in Rugby Union coach for the Reserve Grade team for a match or two, despite having never played Union in his life. His coaching style was unconventional, with him using clay target shooting analogies, and emotion-charged pre-game speeches to rival Tommy Raudonikis. The bar was set low, as the team hadn’t had a win all season. Leading into that game, Vaughan had a strange game plan. He told them “I want you to go out there, and kick a field goal in the first 5 minutes. And then I want you to kick another field goal!!”
Bewildered, the players followed their coach’s instructions, and indeed kicked a field goal in the beginning minutes of the game. It may have been so bizarre that it threw the opponents off their game, but Vaughan’s strategies worked, and the Bulls team had a win for the first time of the season. That night they celebrated like they’d won the grand final, earning Vaughan the title of “Super Coach!”, etching him in Bulls history, and a folklore tale for years to come. It also held him in much endearment to the young players.
Vaughan went on many adventures with his mates, hunting wild pigs out west, chasing deer around Tenterfield, fishing down at Iluka and Ballina, and the boys’ trip of a lifetime to the Northern Territory, where they obtained a permit to spend time camping inside Arnhem Land with the locals, catching Barramundi, herding wild Buffalo by helicopter and jeep, and hunting. As the kids grew older, Clinton would accompany Vaughan on hunting trips with Vaughan’s like-minded mates and their sons - more adventures were had, memories made, and the legacy handed down to the next generation.
While Vaughan enjoyed many activities, mateship was at the heart of everything he enjoyed. He wasn’t one to go shooting or fishing alone, and every activity always involved doing it alongside his mates. His desire for genuine, human connection remained strong throughout his whole life, and saw him develop many friendships and connections, as evidenced by the amount of lives he touched.
In around 1990, Vaughan accepted a redundancy from Australia Post, moving on to new challenges and taking up the Manager role with the newly formed SkillShare, a training facility for long-term unemployed in Casino – then beginning his encore career working in this field. Vaughan was a doer, and quickly got to work securing funding for the upgrade of the business facility from an old grain shed, to an upgraded modern office and education facility, and grew that business helping many to gain employment along the way.
Vaughan was a community man. He enjoyed volunteering for various committees and sitting on various boards. He was a diplomat, and a calming personality. He had an uncanny ability to pull someone into line, while using humour to take the sting out of it and not cause offence. He was definitely NOT the disciplinarian to his kids, but rather, the parent you went to when Mum said no.
Vaughan was hilarious, and very funny. He had a joke for every occasion, a ridiculous memory for all those jokes, and would recount hilarious stories from his past – he was such a great story-teller. He loved music, and made up songs for everything - the kids’ least favourite being the “Get out of bed it’s time for school” song, but a favourite being the song about baiting your fishing hook with a worm, including where you insert the fishing hook to begin. He loved to joke about shooting the Easter Bunny at easter time, despite making the kids and cousins bawl.
September 30, 2024
Part 3
Vaughan MC’d his first wedding at 18, for his sister Rhonda, and never looked back. He often held the mic at events, and as Rhonda said “Vaughan was always ready to chair the meeting. He was just so confident!”.
After returning to Kyogle, Vaughan met a Casino girl, Kay Reis, at a local dance. They hit it off, and it wasn’t too long before they became a couple, and were engaged to be married. In February 1973, Vaughan and Kay were wed, here in this church, by Father Relihan, with a reception held at the old Casino Bowling Club.
Vaughan had been offered a promotion to a role with Australia Post back in Potts Point, Sydney, and he and Kay moved to the city after the wedding. Kay took a role as a bank teller with the CBC Bank (which later became the NAB), and Vaughan worked at the Potts Point Post Office adjacent to Kings Cross. During his time in Sydney, Vaughan also went to night school to complete his HSC, while continuing to work full time furthering his management training.
Part of Vaughan’s job was to deliver the day’s cash takings to the bank - a job that required a briefcase to be handcuffed to his wrist, and as an armed guard, he carried a pistol. At one stage, a full alert was issued, as a postal clerk was robbed of their cash takings at knifepoint on their way to the bank. A few days later, the postmaster phoned Vaughan to say a robbery of a postal clerk was taking place right then, close by. Vaughan jumped into action, grabbing his pistol and running to the location. He found the robbery still in place, and police not yet on the scene. Some people had crowded around and were shouting. The robber had a female postal worker held with a knife to her throat. Vaughan drew his pistol, pointing it at the man’s head and demanded he drop the knife. Although he felt certain the man was going to kill the woman, he told the man again to drop the knife. In Vaughan’s (slightly censored words): “I said to him: Drop the [so-and-so] knife, or I’m gonna blow your [so-and-so] head off!”. The man dropped the knife and ran, much to Vaughan’s great relief, and to the robber’s good fortune.
After some years in the city, longing to return home and to be closer to their families, Vaughan and Kay returned to Casino, where Kay worked at the CBC’s Casino branch, and Vaughan commenced his career with the Regional Office of Australia Post, as a Post Office auditor, travelling from Kempsey to the Tweed and in-between for work. They built their first home in Kurrajong Avenue, Casino in around 1977, and in 1979 welcomed their first child, Trudy, followed by Clinton in 1981.
Both being very family-oriented, holidays and special occasions were spent with the extended families - with the Reis family in Ballina, and back on the farm with the Lavelle family, where the kids grew up with their many cousins, uncles and aunts, and a good time was had by all. Many cherished memories were made.
Vaughan and Kay formed life-long friendships in Casino, and the families spent a great deal of time together, to the extent that they became known as Aunts and Uncles to each others’ kids, despite not actually being related.
Vaughan never sat still, and was always very active. Vaughan had a natural sporting ability, and did well at the various sports he played, including soccer, tennis, hockey, squash, golf and touch football. He had a life-long love of NRL and was a loyal Parramatta Eels supporter. He took up clay target shooting in the early 80’s, quickly excelled to become an A-grade shooter, filled many shelves with trophies and prizes, and was the Secretary and then President of the Richmond River Gun Club at Lismore. It was standard for Vaughan to have a success rate of around 99% in competition, and there was an occasion where he achieved 100% at a State Championship earning him a great accolade. In 1985, he was awarded Zone Champion after a score of 24 hits out of 25 shots in the unpopular and difficult, fast-paced Ball Trap event and made the news, being published in his much loved “Australian Clay Target Magazine”.
Many a weekend was spent at the Gun Club in Lismore over the mid-1980s with Kay and the kids in tow – a place that would surely hold the world record for number of green frogs occupying the toilet bowls, and deadly snakes slithering around the place, to Kay and Trudy’s terror.
Vaughan MC’d his first wedding at 18, for his sister Rhonda, and never looked back. He often held the mic at events, and as Rhonda said “Vaughan was always ready to chair the meeting. He was just so confident!”.
After returning to Kyogle, Vaughan met a Casino girl, Kay Reis, at a local dance. They hit it off, and it wasn’t too long before they became a couple, and were engaged to be married. In February 1973, Vaughan and Kay were wed, here in this church, by Father Relihan, with a reception held at the old Casino Bowling Club.
Vaughan had been offered a promotion to a role with Australia Post back in Potts Point, Sydney, and he and Kay moved to the city after the wedding. Kay took a role as a bank teller with the CBC Bank (which later became the NAB), and Vaughan worked at the Potts Point Post Office adjacent to Kings Cross. During his time in Sydney, Vaughan also went to night school to complete his HSC, while continuing to work full time furthering his management training.
Part of Vaughan’s job was to deliver the day’s cash takings to the bank - a job that required a briefcase to be handcuffed to his wrist, and as an armed guard, he carried a pistol. At one stage, a full alert was issued, as a postal clerk was robbed of their cash takings at knifepoint on their way to the bank. A few days later, the postmaster phoned Vaughan to say a robbery of a postal clerk was taking place right then, close by. Vaughan jumped into action, grabbing his pistol and running to the location. He found the robbery still in place, and police not yet on the scene. Some people had crowded around and were shouting. The robber had a female postal worker held with a knife to her throat. Vaughan drew his pistol, pointing it at the man’s head and demanded he drop the knife. Although he felt certain the man was going to kill the woman, he told the man again to drop the knife. In Vaughan’s (slightly censored words): “I said to him: Drop the [so-and-so] knife, or I’m gonna blow your [so-and-so] head off!”. The man dropped the knife and ran, much to Vaughan’s great relief, and to the robber’s good fortune.
After some years in the city, longing to return home and to be closer to their families, Vaughan and Kay returned to Casino, where Kay worked at the CBC’s Casino branch, and Vaughan commenced his career with the Regional Office of Australia Post, as a Post Office auditor, travelling from Kempsey to the Tweed and in-between for work. They built their first home in Kurrajong Avenue, Casino in around 1977, and in 1979 welcomed their first child, Trudy, followed by Clinton in 1981.
Both being very family-oriented, holidays and special occasions were spent with the extended families - with the Reis family in Ballina, and back on the farm with the Lavelle family, where the kids grew up with their many cousins, uncles and aunts, and a good time was had by all. Many cherished memories were made.
Vaughan and Kay formed life-long friendships in Casino, and the families spent a great deal of time together, to the extent that they became known as Aunts and Uncles to each others’ kids, despite not actually being related.
Vaughan never sat still, and was always very active. Vaughan had a natural sporting ability, and did well at the various sports he played, including soccer, tennis, hockey, squash, golf and touch football. He had a life-long love of NRL and was a loyal Parramatta Eels supporter. He took up clay target shooting in the early 80’s, quickly excelled to become an A-grade shooter, filled many shelves with trophies and prizes, and was the Secretary and then President of the Richmond River Gun Club at Lismore. It was standard for Vaughan to have a success rate of around 99% in competition, and there was an occasion where he achieved 100% at a State Championship earning him a great accolade. In 1985, he was awarded Zone Champion after a score of 24 hits out of 25 shots in the unpopular and difficult, fast-paced Ball Trap event and made the news, being published in his much loved “Australian Clay Target Magazine”.
Many a weekend was spent at the Gun Club in Lismore over the mid-1980s with Kay and the kids in tow – a place that would surely hold the world record for number of green frogs occupying the toilet bowls, and deadly snakes slithering around the place, to Kay and Trudy’s terror.
September 30, 2024
Part 2 - Eulogy
Vaughan was the hunter of the family. He was always keen to chase in the wild, and at a young age quickly became very fond of guns and proud of his capacity as a strong marksman. His wild bird soup from his farm adventures was never a family favourite, as Kyme says, shotgun pellets were often discovered whilst eating.
With primary school completed, Vaughan attended Kyogle High School in town. He and Rhonda caught the bus from Old Grevillea, after a 3km journey to the bus stop.
In Vaughan’s early years, his first jobs included pumping petrol, and working as an usher at the local drive in movies – a job he didn’t enjoy for its role of searching for non-payers who were hiding in the car boots trying to get in for free, and evicting them.
His first role with Australia Post (then known as the PMG) was at the age of 16. When hired, he thought he would perhaps be serving on the counter, wearing a shirt and tie – looking fancy, and doing something exciting. Alas, he was given a long grey uniform, a grey hat, a leather bag, and a bright red push bike. He was to deliver telegrams around Kyogle, a rather steep town, by bike. After some months of being swooped by magpies, and attacked by dogs, and after a particularly heinous few days delivering an influx of condolence telegrams to the highest street in Kyogle all day, Vaughan’s drive for internal promotion was born. Luckily, Australia Post management could see his potential, and one day a Commonwealth car with a “Z” numberplate pulled up in Kyogle, and two well-dressed gentlemen met with the Kyogle postmaster, who shortly called Vaughan into the office. The men had come to Kyogle to interview Vaughan. They advised him there was a job going at Strathfield in Sydney, as a Postal Clerk trainee, and asked him if he would be willing to accept.
Vaughan was nervous. He’d never been to Sydney before – he’d never even been on a train. He wanted to say no, so he told them he was not sure his parents would agree to him leaving as he was needed on the farm. The Commonwealth workers said they’d be happy to speak to his parents about it, and in that instant, Vaughan knew he had no chance of getting out of it now.
And so, his telegram delivery boy career ended, and Vaughan boarded the train to Sydney at the age of 18. In Sydney, he was picked up by Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Clayton from Campsie, who took him over to his Boarding House and the training centre where he would spend the next few years undertaking work-based training. Bonnie and Clayton became his Sydney parents and cared for Vaughan greatly during this time. After 14 months or so, he was a fully qualified Postal Clerk. Missing home, Vaughan successfully applied for a Postal Clerk role at the Kyogle Post Office, returning home much to the relief of his big sister Rhonda, who had missed him greatly. Vaughan continued to excel in his career, receiving various promotions.
Vaughan was the hunter of the family. He was always keen to chase in the wild, and at a young age quickly became very fond of guns and proud of his capacity as a strong marksman. His wild bird soup from his farm adventures was never a family favourite, as Kyme says, shotgun pellets were often discovered whilst eating.
With primary school completed, Vaughan attended Kyogle High School in town. He and Rhonda caught the bus from Old Grevillea, after a 3km journey to the bus stop.
In Vaughan’s early years, his first jobs included pumping petrol, and working as an usher at the local drive in movies – a job he didn’t enjoy for its role of searching for non-payers who were hiding in the car boots trying to get in for free, and evicting them.
His first role with Australia Post (then known as the PMG) was at the age of 16. When hired, he thought he would perhaps be serving on the counter, wearing a shirt and tie – looking fancy, and doing something exciting. Alas, he was given a long grey uniform, a grey hat, a leather bag, and a bright red push bike. He was to deliver telegrams around Kyogle, a rather steep town, by bike. After some months of being swooped by magpies, and attacked by dogs, and after a particularly heinous few days delivering an influx of condolence telegrams to the highest street in Kyogle all day, Vaughan’s drive for internal promotion was born. Luckily, Australia Post management could see his potential, and one day a Commonwealth car with a “Z” numberplate pulled up in Kyogle, and two well-dressed gentlemen met with the Kyogle postmaster, who shortly called Vaughan into the office. The men had come to Kyogle to interview Vaughan. They advised him there was a job going at Strathfield in Sydney, as a Postal Clerk trainee, and asked him if he would be willing to accept.
Vaughan was nervous. He’d never been to Sydney before – he’d never even been on a train. He wanted to say no, so he told them he was not sure his parents would agree to him leaving as he was needed on the farm. The Commonwealth workers said they’d be happy to speak to his parents about it, and in that instant, Vaughan knew he had no chance of getting out of it now.
And so, his telegram delivery boy career ended, and Vaughan boarded the train to Sydney at the age of 18. In Sydney, he was picked up by Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Clayton from Campsie, who took him over to his Boarding House and the training centre where he would spend the next few years undertaking work-based training. Bonnie and Clayton became his Sydney parents and cared for Vaughan greatly during this time. After 14 months or so, he was a fully qualified Postal Clerk. Missing home, Vaughan successfully applied for a Postal Clerk role at the Kyogle Post Office, returning home much to the relief of his big sister Rhonda, who had missed him greatly. Vaughan continued to excel in his career, receiving various promotions.
Service
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