Our fellow Benevolent resident and lifelong board member, Ian Power has led a life with many memorable moments.
Originally starting out as Benevolent’s Auditor in 1985, Ian has had a lifelong connection with us – he even grew up just down the road! After many years of auditing, Ian decided to join the official board of Benevolent in 2001 and spent 10 years working along side us before being honoured as a lifelong member in 2011.
In 2016 Ian resigned from the board and became a permanent resident here at Benevolent; a place he once used to work for.
“I really enjoy it here at Benevolent – it’s high quality care and the staff here are absolutely wonderful”, Ian commended.
Ian was born on 28th December 1927 in Emerald but has always called Rockhampton home.
“When I was 6 years old my mother and grandfather passed within days of each other”, he explains.
“My family wanted a fresh start, so we packed our things and moved to Rockhampton – and I’ve called it home ever since,” Ian said.
Reminiscing over the old days, we asked Ian to give us a bit more insight into his whirlwind of a life.
“Club 300… now that’s a story”, Ian reminisced.
“I was in the regal army for most of my younger life, and after 3 tours in South-East Asia I was appointed role of the forward command post.
“During this time my mates and I used to go hang out at a place called ‘Club 300’ which was run by a fellow Aussie,” Ian explained.
“The night before we left to go back home to Australia, I told the owner that I was taking the ‘Club 300’ sign with me.
“The owner told me that I had to get past the guard – who had a shotgun by the way!
“Oh well, I still planned to steal the sign,” he laughed.
Ian then went on to explain how he, his wife Gloria, and his friend Patty organised the perfect crime.
“My mate Patty started talking to the guard to distract him, then my wife Gloria and I ran behind them and snatched the sign off the wall – it was a memory I’ll never forget,” Ian chuckled.
The Club 300 sign is hanging up in Ian’s room still to this day.
After many years serving in the Australian Army, Ian has a couple memorable moments that were his favourite to look back on.
“I think one of the proudest moments I had serving in the Army was when I initiated the program of exchange between the American and Australian Armies,” he explained.
“This exchange meant that I would organise a few of our troops to fly over to Hawaii, and a few of the American soldiers to come over to Australia – it was a great bonding moment for both countries,” Ian said.
Ian explains how lucky he was to travel the world and see so many countries.
“I’ve been to many places in my life, one of my son’s was even born in Malaysia when I was sent there for work,” he explained.
“No matter where I went, I always found my way back here – nothing beats the feeling of being home in Rocky,” Ian smiled.
We want to thank Ian for his life-long commitment to Benevolent and for sharing a glimpse of his life with us, and we wish him all the best for the future!