I will never forget.........

In come the dollars and in come the cents, to replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence.  Be prepared folks when the notes begin to mix, on the 14th February, 1966.

That was the day that decimal currency came in.  Even though it was a long time ago I remember that day because my dad, Ivan Frederick Goodwin, went to the Pub and got us a brand new 20 cent coin.  We waited in the car and when he came out we were so excited.  Sadly that was the last present he ever gave me.

8 days later on 22nd February he was travelling home from work on a front end loader and was killed when it rolled over going down a steep hill on Waverley Road in Glen Waverley.

Dad was 32 years old and way too young to die.

He went to work that morning and never came home.

I was six at the time and I don't think that I really knew what it meant that he was never coming home again

I just knew that my dad was gone.  Mum told us that God wanted him more than we did.  How could God want him more than us?

Sadly we never got to go to his funeral - never really got to say goodbye.

In 1966 it was not the done thing to take children to funerals.  Just not something you did.

 Recently I attended to the funeral of Aaron King who passed away suddenly at the age of 39.

As I watched Lisa and Aaron's boys get up and speak at their father's funeral and saw the wonderful love and support that they have from their family I couldn't help but feel sad that things were not the same way for me.  I felt so grateful that they got to be a part in saying goodbye to their dad.

I feel grateful that their grief was and is acknowledged.

This was the last photo ever taken of our family.

It was 26th January, 1966.

  

I don't know why my dad had to go when he did.  I don't know why he  had to leave us when  I was so young and he was so young.  I do know that there is a reason (I have my theories) and one day I will know.
I also know that one day we will be together again.
One day there will be no more goodbyes.
One day he will hug me again and tell me that he has missed me and
that he loves me.

Until then I will never forget.  I love you.

In loving memory of my Dad, Ivan Frederick Goodwin, who passed away

46 years ago today - 22nd February, 1966.