PROMOTING THE HISTORY AND ARCHIVES OF MT COMPASS
Coles, Ralph
Ralph William Coles
Born on the 5th January 1921 to Robert William Coles and Jessie Melita Coles (nee Sommerville), he was the youngest of their four children.
Sam (as he was known) lived on Section 42 in Nangkita and attended the Nangkita School until 1930, when he moved to the Mt Compass Public School, at which he remained until leaving as a 14 year old in 1935.
In the early 1930s, his family grew onions, with Sam collecting the young seedlings from Currency Creek and tasked with carrying them back to be planted – walking all the way.
When Sam left school he worked with Harold Stone, who was the first migratory apiarist in the state. This enabled the young Sam to travel through most of the agricultural areas in the state. On one occasion they were travelling through Coonalpyn when a box of bees fell off their Dodge truck in the main street. When they came back a week later the box was still there and the main street traffic had made a new road around the box and through the sand. They picked it up and went on their way.
One of Sam’s occupations was also as a well digger, but apparently, he dug more dry wells than wet ones.
At the outbreak of war, Sam first joined up with the local militia at Goolwa before being accepted into the AIF, joining the 2nd/10th Battalion.
He served in Palestine and Syria before being called back to Australia when the Japanese entered the war. He then spent time in New Guinea before being repatriated to North Queensland.
Sam’s father died before the war ended, with Sam returning to the family property to milk cows and carry out casual work.
In 1946 the manager at Willowburn Farm, Geoff Duffield, offered him a job there – which was to last for 34 years. Sam handled stock, crutched sheep, drove tractors and grubbed stumps along with many other tasks. During all those years there he only had 3 days of sick leave.
After retiring from Willowburn, Sam reignited his passion for bees, in partnership with Leigh Duffield (Geoff’s son). They travelled the countryside together as Sam passed on the knowledge he had gained from the early days.
Sam joined the Mount Compass Lodge of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB). Here he developed confidence in his public speaking abilities to the point where he took on virtually every position in the Lodge.
He was made a life member of the Mt Compass Football Club in the early 70s, in recognition of his assistance with fundraising for the club. He was a foundation member of the Pioneer Pavilion building used by the club.
Sam was also a regular helper at working bees to construct the War Memorial Hall as well as attending the weekly working bees building the RSL Clubrooms, of which he was one of the foundation members. Sam was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for his service to the RSL in 1972 and served as a President of the Mt Compass sub-branch (1962).
It was apt that he was an active supporter of the work to help raise funds for the Myrtle Bank War Veteran’s Home. It was here that he spent the last six months of his life prior to passing away in the Daw Park Rehabilitation Hospital on 3rd February 2000.
Sam remained single all his life and bequeathed his body to a university for education and research.
References: NAA Service Records, Leigh Duffield, Entre Nous newsletter
