Vale – Notice Board

Barry Charles Brown of the Senior Year of 1958 left us on 12th September 2024. The funeral was held on Wednesday 25th September.

The Order of Service is attached herewith. It was attended by myself, Brian Hallam and
Michael Victor A.M. from Brownie’s class.

He had been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. Brownie was a good student and obtained a Fellowship following Senior choosing Dentistry.

Following graduation, the government put him and another fellow who became a great friend, in two railway carriages, one a dental surgery, the other accommodation for the lads. This was an innovation serving to blood the nouveau dentists and to provide dental health to people in outback towns not served by a dentist. It was particularly valuable for bush kids. Later
Brownie became interested in orthodontics and did a Master’s degree in orthodontics which was a new field at the time.

He and his dentist wife Marilyn established practices in Sydney and Albury where they worked exceedingly hard for several years before returning to Brisbane to live in Payne Road at The Gap. They produced four children just one of whom became a dentist. The youngest, Vanessa, first did engineering becoming a coastal engineer working in the shifting sands field and then changed her course and did a PhD in orthodontics. Hec Macdonald was also a coastal engineer.

Academically, Brownie was Dux, but he was an even better sportsman. Peter Dawson was in the year below us, but Brownie was an all-rounder similarly endowed with the ability to excel at anything. He played in the 1st XV and 1st XI for three years making the TAS teams for at least two years in each. He won the 50m freestyle event at the TAS Swimming Carnival at the Valley pool in 1958. He swam all his life. He was a “Wahoo” of the Wahoo Swimming Club. A Wahoo is a striped mackerel that can swim at 80 km/hour. He played B grade tennis only because he was too nice a bloke to challenge for a spot in the As which he surely would have obtained.

Brownie and school captain Mark Lynch both told Brother Cyprian that his Latin course was not for them, under any circumstances whatsoever. Cyp later demoted him from Cadet Under Officer to Private after he and Bernie Kelly were caught smoking in the dunny next to the Q-store. Didn’t worry Brownie. Brownie played A grade rugby for University and at one stage obtained a Qld Red jersey and toured NZ with that side. He resisted well-meant advice from myself that he was a better cricketer than he was a rugger player and should change his sport to the gentleman’s game.

There were too many dental students in the UQ rugger side at the time and he wanted to knock about with them. So, my advice went begging. Even so, Ashgrove’s Bernie Knapp sent this to me on 6th May 2017; it’s an extract from Ashgrove’s magazine “Blue and Gold” of 1958. I think Brownie made his debut on 27th. April 1963 for the Qld. Rugby Team.

Bernie Knapp wrote the following which was printed in Ashgrove’s Blue and Gold as mentioned above.

“Look what I found in the 1958 “Blue and Gold” Report of First XI Cricket…I was surprised to note that Ash were Premiers! Interesting team members included Paff, Barros, Ken Craven and Knapp. There is a most generous reference to a particular game that should interest you and Barry. The last game of the first round proved to be a thriller. Rosalie batted first and were saved by a fine 43 by O’Sullivan.  In a bright innings, they made 92. Ashgrove started well but later collapsed under Brown’s accurate bowling. With two runs needed to win, Paul Coote hit a four and went out two balls later with the final score at 96. Please pass this on to BB.  See you both soon. Let me know when you both are available“. Bernie

Rest in peace Barry!