General News
2 January, 2026
AMBITIONS REALISED: How expectations were met — By Brian Lennen
I cite my dad as an example of pre-war expectations. As a student at primary school in Carlton, he excelled. At Lee Street he completed the eighth grade and was dux. Eighth grade was the “merit certificate”.
On his return home he was proud of his achievement, but his father’s response was “get a job!”.
His dad, a cartage contractor with a team of draught horses, could see no benefit in further education. His saying was “hard work never hurt anyone!”.
Most working class families saw tertiary studies and university as the domain of the elite.
During and after World War II, change was brewing. The Menzies Government saw the country booming on its agricultural production. The term “riding on the sheep’s back” was appropriate, but an industrial base was needed.
After the war, there was a new sense of optimism in the country. One could say Australia had “come of age”. Migrants flooded into Australia from “war-torn” Europe and demanded a better life. Egalitarianism took hold. “One man is as good as another!” was the mantra.
Maryborough was a good place to be. Its citizens were proud of their city and celebrated it. What crime there was was petty. Champion sportsmen and women achieved national status.
Sir Edmund Herring occupied the most significant local state position as Lieutenant Governor. Its sporting teams achieved outstanding state honours such as provincial cricket titles and Ballarat football premierships.
John Nicholls started as a player and coached a VFL premiership. Jack Moore was the doyen of harness racing, winning the prized Inter-Dominion in Wayville. Helen Greenwood won a state amateur golf title. Tony Polinelli brought glory by winning the Bendigo Gift.
Bill Woodfull captained Australia through the “bodyline” attack from Douglas Jardine and led a side containing Bradman and Ponsford to several Ashes triumphs (especially when the English press dubbed them as “hopeless”).
In recent times, Matthew Dellavedova won a basketball championship ring in the NBA and competed in four Olympics.
Kai Lohmann’s two AFL premierships for the Brisbane Lions in only a handful of games is the stuff of every boy and girl’s dreams.
In the 1990s the three Watts brothers Gary, Leigh and Rodney were all part of Fitzroy’s district cricket premiership — a feat not even matched by the famous Harvey brothers.
In the medical field, Sherryl Wagstaff is an ear, nose and throat specialist in the field of otolaryngology, especially working on head and neck surgery. She and her husband, together with a band of leading surgeons, have built Adeney Private Hospital, which performs surgery of every kind for privately funded insurers with zero out-of-pocket expenses.
When in the Camberwell Market, I was embraced by a charming lady who recognised me. Like most past students, you are referred to as “mister” or “miss”.
It was Zana Lemaic, and she was thrilled to see me. I can remember her starting at PS 2828 straight from Yugoslavia, knowing no English at all. She soon mastered the language and thrived.
After attending secondary school, she gained a law arts degree at Monash University. She specialised in employment rights law and has been in practice for 20 years, now a principal lawyer.
Zana still retains a close relationship with her childhood friends, Marie Courtney and Susan Sing, and is full of wonderful memories of her early years in Maryborough.
Frank O’Keefe, a born and bred lad who attended PS 404 and Maryborough High School, is another son to be proud of. He completed an honour science degree and worked at the CSL, but found it wasn’t as exciting as he thought. So he returned to university to attend the first physiotherapy degree.
Frank opened up a successful practice in Maryborough until a successful application to undertake a medical degree saw him move to Tasmania. He has since specialised in gynaecology and obstetrics. Despite a debilitating bout of COVID, he is back in full flight.
There are many more celebrated sons and daughters of our city that I will hopefully cover at a later date.
We should all be proud of our city and its high achievers.