Finley Dawe

Born 1918

Finley NSW

……. “No takeaway meals in my life-NEVER!”

Still living in his own home, Finley came across as a very proud man. His home was neat, warm and welcoming and had a real retro feel, especially the amazing original orange floral wallpaper in the kitchen.

Finley was in fact born in the town of Finley and seemed disappointed as he explained that you can no longer have a baby in the town. Finley spoke fondly of his childhood and told me “My family were so good, they socialised in teams. It was a plain upbringing really. My family came here from Port Fairy and moved to Tatura before settling in Finley in 1910. His parents taught him to be ‘well behaved’ & not to start ‘smoking’ or’ drinking’.

Finley was married to ‘Enid’ in 1943 and they had 3 girls. Finley now even has a great grandchild and remembers the first 20 years of his married life as the best years in Australia.

In 1940 Finley was called to the Army, he said- “I got a letter on a Thursday and thought I’d better go”. He became a part of the Australian Light Horse Brigade, the 20th. He did admit to smoking for 2 months during the war. The journey to Western Australia to join the Australia Light Horse Brigade was one of Finley’s most memorable moments. He boarded a train at Narrabri, the train had no windows, it was hot, and Finley spent the entire journey, which took 13 days, on a flat top truck, sitting in a ute.

Finley’s life philosophy is to live a quiet and very homely life and he thinks the secret to life is home cooking, “No takeaway meals in my life-NEVER!” Finley still holds a driver’s licence (to drive 10kms), walks a lot and has a ‘gopher’. When I asked Finley if he had his life over again would there be anything he would change he responded with “Nothing really, I have had a hard life, sold the farm in 1960”.

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