An Extraordinary Life
Bill (William) Simons
"Keith asked me to give a brief profile of my life up to now, so here goes, the profile of one who grew up on the western side of the city.
I came into this world, went to primary school, then to technical high school, got an apprenticeship, married, had a baby, went into sales and marketing, built a house, re-married, built another house, then retired.
Thank you.
Any questions?
Now, being serious …
I really did come into this world - on 17th May 1943, the first son of Alan and Peggy Simons, and first grandson for both sets of grandparents. Hence the name William, being the first name of grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
For the first two years I was horribly spoiled by all the family, being the only boy in my generation.
Then disaster struck … my brother Peter came along and the war began!
We were poor Mum’s nightmare, we fought from the time we woke up to the time we went to bed.
As we got older, things improved.
After a few early years in Torrensville and Kongorong, near Mount Gambier, we moved to Seaton and I started my education at Seaton Primary School.
Mum didn’t drive and worked full time at Phillips Electrical at Hendon, so I caught the bus with my friends to and from school.
Dad bought land adjacent to Phillips, and built a service station and workshop, and we lived next door until Dad finished building a house at the front of the block.
Our playground was the upper reaches of Port Adelaide – no West Lakes then, just sandhills.
Mostly riding our bikes, we
· explored the dunes around Estcourt House
· shot rabbits with an air rifle
· messed around in the local pug holes
· stood on our bicycles to watch football over the fence – Go the Magpies!
· roamed Port Adelaide and Semaphore
· jumped off the rigging of the ketches in the Port Canal
· learned to swim in the Port Canal – held by rope at the end of a pole.
Sometimes we rode into the city to swim in the Torrens weir.
Peter and I belonged to Albert Park Boy Scouts, learning how to tie knots and sew buttons, and flag semaphore – a bit of which, was useful later in life.
Uncle Clem, ex Army, had all daughters, so Peter and I were taken spotlighting in the Riverland and taught to shoot with his rifle and pistol, sometimes kangaroos but mostly rabbits, which we then had to skin.
Dad hated guns so this didn’t put Uncle Clem in Dad’s good books, but we loved it.
My meagre pocket money later in Primary School, was earned by starting up the compressor, taking out the oil bottles, serving petrol, driveway service, cleaning spark plugs and engine parts, re-facing engine valves, and honing engine block cylinders.
Saturday afternoons Mum and I cleaned out the lube bay.
After Primary, I attended a very exclusive Boys’ School, following in the footsteps of one of this Club’s Past Presidents.
John Semmler was a few years ahead of me at Croydon Boys Tech.
I had good teachers, especially in sheet metal and woodworking, and I won prizes at the Royal Adelaide Show for my letter box and wrought iron coffee table.
I still have the table, but the letter box went missing from Mum and Dad’s house – I don’t think I blew it up.
However I did make a pistol at home. It was a wooden handle with a galvanised tube filled with paper and a ball bearing, blocked at one end, leaving a hole small enough for a penny bomb wick.
When the penny bomb was lit, the ball bearing shot out, with enough power to go through both sides of a 44 gallon drum.
Transport to and from Tech was bike and train.
Breakfast – a potato fritter and a cigarette - were purchased with Lunch money from the shop near school, so at lunch time, it was on the bike to Grandma’s house at West Croydon for a free lunch – and more money for cigarettes.
Geography excursion to Mount Gambier – in trouble again.
A group of us nicked off after tea for a milkshake and a smoke.
On the way back, we met up with two teachers – none of us passed geography that term. Lesson learned.
During the school years, there wasn’t much opportunity to get involved with sports, as Dad worked 24/7 and Mum couldn’t drive, so bike was my only means of transport.
I did play lacrosse for Port Adelaide based at Woodville – no protective gear in those days, so I often received injuries to ears and knuckles.
In my teens, I participated in activities at St George’s Church of England at Alberton, including Church of England Boys Society, leading the choir and as an altar boy, which meant riding my bike to church three times each Sunday.
I also had the privilege of singing for a special service at St Peter’s Cathedral, in a choir conducted by a leading choir master out from England.
Involvement with Church didn’t stop me getting into more trouble –
getting dobbed in to Mum by cousin John for smoking,
leading the choir with painted fingernails courtesy of John’s girlfriend,
and running away after landing a half brick on my brother’s head while helping to build extensions to the Church.
After four years of Tech school, I was granted a fitting and turning apprenticeship, at Marine and Harbours at the Dockyard in Port Adelaide.
I was very proud of my working outfit of safety boots, blue combination overalls and blue shirt.
The first few weeks were spent in the tool store, being inducted into the mystical world of tradesmen – for example, being asked for a left handed screwdriver.
Luckily having worked with Dad for years before, I knew there was no such thing.
It wasn’t long – just a few weeks – before I was in trouble again.
The dockyard had a one hundred ton floating crane and the temptation was too great.
I thought it would be a good idea to climb to the top of the jib. It was a long way up, with no safety harness – or permission.
Little did I know the Chief Engineer was watching me from his office, through binoculars.
Dad was working there also, and was duly summonsed to be asked “Is that YOUR son up there?”
On my descent, I also was summoned to the Chief Engineer’s office, and in front of Dad was given a stern reprimand and sent back to the workshop.
My apprenticeship was interesting, educational and most rewarding, due to the variety.
I also spent valuable time learning about the work done by electricians, motor mechanics, plumbers, boilermakers and riggers, and in the foundry.
Highlights of my apprenticeship include being sent to pack the stern gland on a pilot launch – limited help, just basic instructions “Work it out for yourself and don’t sink the launch”.
I machined a large adapter plate for a crane from drawings, and was told to stamp my initials into it, as I might be the one to install it later, and would need to know who to blame if it didn’t fit.
Of course that day came, and thankfully it did fit. Sweating over it might have helped!
I replaced the white metal bearings and piston rings of a large steam powered bucket dredge which was built in Holland in the late 1800’s – I also was skinny enough to fit through the manhole and work in the confined space amongst the boiler tubes to re-fit the cover plates.
With the help of a labourer but no plans, I had to replace the bearings and seals in a large German built gear box, sketching and stamping each part to enable re-assembly.
I was promoted to Second Engineer on one of the steam dredges, firing up my love for steam and the unfulfilled dream of going to sea as a Marine Engineer.
While forgotten for twelve months in the mechanical drafting office, I drew up plans from the Engineer’s design for an adjustable grain chute, to be fitted to the end of a conveyor belt to regulate the flow of grain being loaded into the ship’s hull.
Of course we had no computers or even calculators in those days, just the technical drawing board, slide and scale rules, paper and pencils.
When they finally realised I was still in the drafting office and I was returned to the workshop to complete my apprenticeship, I used my own drawings to manufacture the chute.
Fortunately it worked OK.
After completing the three years of compulsory trade school, I took up the offer of a fourth year which covered advanced gear cutting, heat treatment and design engineering.
I thoroughly enjoyed my apprenticeship, thanks to the good tradesmen and fantastic teachers.
While still an apprentice, I married Marilyn and while we were still living with Mum and Dad, our lovely daughter Vicki was born. I injured my eye while working on a crane in the backblocks of Port Adelaide, and although it was a struggle financially, we had great support from both families and co-workers at the Dockyard.
The compensation from my eye injury enabled us to buy a block of land at Findon and build our own home.
Vicki started playing netball and I was the taxi driver.
Then Vicki discovered horses, thanks to her cousin, requiring regular trips between Findon and Reynella for riding lessons.
We owned two horses during Vicki’s involvement in hunting and show jumping, which prompted me to design and build a horse float.
I was a very proud Dad when, after matriculation, Vicki started part-time work at Marine and Harbours in the archives, then was offered a full time job in the hydrographic surveying department.
Following studies, Vicki became the first female marine surveyor in Marine and Harbours.
After my apprenticeship I worked in purchasing and sales at Atkins Engineering Supplies in Hindmarsh. Atkins became Sellers Atkins, industrial and hardware suppliers, and my career continued through various roles including Warehouse Manager, Sales Manager and Branch Manager, including establishing a branch at Lonsdale.
On weekends I sailed with my two cousins, on a heavyweight Sharpie in the Port River, then we built a lightweight Sharpie and sailed from Largs Bay. We also crewed on a friend’s 35 foot cruising yacht.
In 1986 I met Sandie, who started working at Sellers Atkins as Managing Director’s PA, and we married on Mum’s birthday, 18th March 1990.
Most weekends in football season, we went with friends to watch Port Adelaide play, and I became involved in the Vice President’s Coterie and Club 96, which was a group raising funds to get a team into the AFL.
In the meantime, Sellers Atkins went through take overs by Campbells, and then BBC Hardware.
These take overs were extremely stressful, particularly the last one, when I had to retrench about 150 people, some of whom I had worked and socialised with for twenty plus years.
In 1996, not long after moving to BBC Richmond, it was my turn to be re-trenched. It was quite a shock not having a company car and a mobile phone!
And I had to find another job.
I worked for Nu-Steel Homes as a sales consultant for a while but soon decided it wasn’t for me.
In that same year, we bought the Corvette and joined the Corvette Club of South Australia. We had a great time with the Club on long weekends away, shorter cruises, and at national Conventions. We still maintain some valuable friendships made through the Club.
After leaving Nu-Steel I moved to Packers at Norwood to manage the installers for a few years, then to Gliderol for ten years.
In the late 1990’s, we decided to leave our unit at Tennyson and found an acre of land at Lyndoch. We built our home and moved in December 2002.
At the end of 2010, I retired and early in 2011, I started volunteering at Barossa Bushgardens.
Not long after, Mum passed away, so the Bushgardens was a peaceful retreat.
I helped Bill Riley, an electrician who also volunteered at the Bushgardens, to install the electrical wiring of the new Volunteers Centre, which saved thousands of dollars.
In September 2016, after 15 months on the waiting list, we joined Probus.
In February 2018, Sandie and I joined this Rotary Club, thanks to our good friend Bryce.
Both these Clubs have given us more friendships and a busy social life.
The other thing I love about Rotary though, is that it presents opportunities to help other people, both locally and globally, with a group of like-minded people.
So thanks everyone, for making this phase of my life another enjoyable time."
