John William Goyen

Born to Alice Maud Floyde Goyen (nee Hazeltine) and Eric Raymond Goyen at home, Balmain, NSW, Australia on Tuesday, 12th May 1931.

Married Margaret Davies at St Andrews Presbyterian Church, Gladesville, NSW, Australia on Saturday, 31st October 1959.

Birth of son, Ross Eric at Ryde Hospital, Ryde, NSW, Australia on Sunday, 27th March 1966.

My Life - written by Jack 28/11/2008 and edited by Judy 27/07/2012.

I was born on 12th May 1931 in the front room of my Grandparents' house, 5 Campbell St Balmain. In 1932 my parents, Alice (known as Lal) and Eric (known as Arty Eck) moved to Gladesville where the air was fresher and Dad had a big backyard to grow vegetables. I spent a lot of my younger years with my Nan in Balmain.
I went to Gladesville Public School as did my brother, Peter who was born on 26th July 1936. I was not a very good student but he was.
I was a foundation member of the 2nd Gladesville Public School Cub Pack and then a Scout. It was during the war and as well as Cubbing things and a camp at Crosslands, we collected aluminium utensils, bottles, newspapers and collected money for the war effort. We were also runners for the ARP (Air Raid Precautions) post at Peel's Dairy. On the night the Japanese attacked Sydney Harbour, I put on my cap and scarf, picked up my bag containing a triangular bandage and a bottle of Dettol ready to report to the ARP post. When my mother, a very determined lady, asked "Where are you going?" I said "To serve my country". "Not bloody likely" said she and pushed me under the kitchen table. The air raid shelter which Dad, Peter and I had labouriously dug in the backyard was full of water after heavy rain.
I went to Drummoyne Junior High School and qualified with an Intermediate Certificate. I then went on to Sydney Technical High School for a while before leaving to become an Apprentice Electrician.
Peter and I continued with Gladesville Scouts and Mum and Aunty Ann used their expertise in knitting and crocheting to raise lots of money for the Group. Dad was a member of the District Executive.
Then a family tragedy. Peter was an Apprentice Motor Mechanic and joined the RAAF to do his National Service. On 18th April 1955 he died in a shooting incident. He was my Father's favourite and Dad never got over it.
In the early '50s, Mum and Dad bought a block of land at Buff Point on Tuggerah Lakes. New building materials were not easily available and second hand materials were at a premium. I can remember one night Dad, after waiting all afternoon at Weil's Hardware Store, bought a bag of cement and carried it home. Our car, an old Essex, was too worn out to drive to Buff Point so Dad and I took it to Buff Point by train and bus to lay the first foundation for the house - or rather the one room we built. We were helped again by my Uncle Bob who had a car but I can't remember what it was. I do remember his old "Hudson" (I think) ex-army ambulance which could do (and often did) 60 miles per hour.
Over the next year or so, that vehicle carried his family, my family and all the building material to build our weekender. I also remember the night he hit a cow asleep on the dirt road as we approached Buff Point.
Around 1955 or so, I needed a partner for a Ball and a mutual friend introduced me to Margaret Davies, a Cub Leader at Abbotsford and a member of St Andrews Prebyterian Church in Gladesville. For the next year we met casually until the 1956 Jamboree when we met more frequently and were married in 1959.
Margaret was born with a hole in her heart and to compensate, it had grown to 2.5 times the size of a normal heart. Our first major decision - she would not be able to have children.
There had been some open-heart operations with little success however in 1962 we saw Harry Winsor, a Cardiac Surgeon at St Vincent's Hospital. After lots of tests and consultations and with the new heart-lung machine at the hospital, he said he was prepared to operate and was sure there was a 60% chance of survival leading to a fairly normal life for at least 20 years - we were blessed with 42 years together.
Margaret had the operation in 1963 and with indescribable joy, Ross was born in 1966 and in 1971 we were blessed again with Judy. Our family was complete, the Grandparents were delighted.
Ross and Judy went to Hornsby North Public School and then to Asquith Boys' and Asquith Girls' High Schools. Both were in Scouts and Guides as were Margaret and I.
By 1990, Margaret's health had deteriorated and was often in hospital but we still had our overseas and local trips. She was fitted with a Pacemaker and then a Defibrilator but died on 27th August 2001.
In my years of Scouting I was a Cub and Scout with 2nd Gladesville Public School Group; a Scout, a Patrol Leader, a Troop Leader, a Senior Scout and a Rover with 1st Gladesville; and a Scout Leader and Senior Scout Leader with 2nd Gladesville.
I then resigned as a uniformed Leader and joined the Gladesville Branch of the Guild of Old Scouts which later became known as Dullaburra Guild.
After moving to Asquith, I became a member of the Hornsby District Executive and General Manager of the newly-formed Hornsby Showtime. I was then appointed a District Leader, District Commissioner and Service Auxillary in Hornsby District and then an Honorary Commissioner in Sydney North Region. I am also a member of the State International Friendship Team and am Deputy to the State International Commissioner.
As for my work, I was apprenticed to an Electrical contractor in Ryde, studied at Sydney and Meadowbank Technical Colleges and qulaified as an Electrican. I joined the Sydney County Council as a Service Fitter in 1956 and then went into Sales. I returned to TAFE for a Management Course and was a Branch Sales Supervisor at Crows Nest, Chatswood and Hornsby. I went on to become a Technical Officer then Customer Relations then to Marketing where I was appointed Display Officer responsible for displays, exhibitions and major events. I retired in 1991.