Mourners farewell Allan Scott

One Response to “Mourners farewell Allan Scott”

1. Walter Nisbett on November 4th, 2008 4:18 pm 1

   I wish I could have been there to say a last farewell to my much loved “Uncle Arch”
   And I only hope, that these few words can convey the Love, Affection and Respect that is felt by myself, and my sisters Shirley and Judy.
   I know the thought going through the minds of my family if they read this.
   Shirley and Max, Robyn, Zena, Ray and Julie, if only for a brief instant and that would be “God that Wol was a bugger of kid” and they would be right, I was.
   I don’t know how many times going through my life, my Uncle would look at me, shake his head and say “God you’re a bugger of a kid Wol”
   But because of him, I grew up into a man, far removed from a bugger of a kid, and I will always remember him for the positive changes he made to my life.

   The world will not be the same without Allan Scott.
   Allan Scott the business man, who has done more in his lifetime than most normal people would not even dare to dream, he touched the lives of thousands of people, put food on thousands of tables, roofs over thousands of heads and changed the lives of anyone that was lucky enough to be a part of his life.
   These few words are not about Allan Scott, the business man; these words are about, My Uncle Arch.

   I guess the best place to start is the first best memory, and one that defines the way I have always thought of him.
   I will never forget, I was about nine years old, it was Christmas and I was living in Milang, Uncle Arch, Aunty Margaret and family where coming to have Christmas with us that year, the day before Christmas was my birthday.
   My Mum told me your Uncle has a surprise for you this year but would not tell me what it was.
   I was playing out the front, when Uncle Arch turned up driving his first “Cottees” truck, a cab over petrol Bedford with a lazy axle.
   On the back was a perfect Essex super six convertible, with a dickie seat in the boot, out jumped Uncle Arch; as he was, and why we love him and will never forget him, loud, full of confidence and with that voice that we will never forget, “Happy Birthday Walter John” he sat me up in the cab of the truck, we drove up to Wakefields I think, and unloaded the car, he drove me around town in it, he showed me how to drive it, and gave it to me, that was my Uncle Arch.

   As the years went by, I grew up and continued to be a bugger of a kid, we moved to Mount Gambier and I grew up around the trucking depot on North Terrace, and life around Uncle Arch was always exciting, sometimes scary but always exciting, and we all have great stories to tell and remember because of him.
   Like the time a car salesman drove up to the depot in Chevy Corvette Stingray, and tried to sell it to Uncle Arch, I was there, and remember my Uncle jumping into the drivers seat and the salesman getting in the passenger seat – big mistake –

   He took off toward the roundabout at Kain and Shelton, and drove the way he always did, like his life, everything or nothing and flat out, he got back to the depot, the salesman’s face was as white as a sheet, he never bought the Corvette, but the salesman like the rest of us, will be lucky enough to have an Alan Scott story to tell his kids, that was my Uncle Arch.
   No matter how rocky our relationship became at times, I would always brag, at the first opportunity to anyone that would listen, as I do today “Allan Scott is my Uncle”.

   And of course being the bugger of a kid that I was, I would not listen to anyone and left school way too early, after many dead end jobs and realizing what a mistake I made, who did I call, My Uncle Arch, he gave me at least three jobs, and sacked me three times, all of which I deserved, at least twice anyway.

   He took me on as an apprentice diesel mechanic when no one else would, the job was tough and I was caught in the middle, being the boss’s nephew, got it from the men, and got it from the boss to do better than the rest.
   In retrospect he gave me the best and biggest opportunity of my life, just didn’t know it at that time.
   If it where not for him, I would be digging ditches, or stacking timber and would have certainly gone from a bugger of a kid to a failure as an adult, how can you thank someone for that, that was my Uncle Arch.

   I left Mount Gambier and travelled the world, never without a job, never run out of money, never landed in jail, never mugged, robbed or beaten up, never deported.
   All these skills where learned at Scott’s transport as a mechanic and from my Uncle Arch, just didn’t know it at the time.

   Because of what I learned from being a mechanic at Scott’s Transport and from the many lectures and well deserved threats from my Uncle, I found myself as a Chief Engineer in the world of multi-million dollar mega yachts and travelled the world.
   On a couple of occasions at sea I didn’t think we were going to survive, and I always thought, what would Uncle Arch do, so I yelled a lot, threw things and generally scared the hell out of people, no just kidding, I learned from his determination and never give up attitude, and I always thought he might come bursting through the engine room door and sack me.
   How can you thank someone for that, that was my Uncle Arch.

   I ended up living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the USA and would often call Uncle Arch, and Allan Scott the businessman would never be to busy to talk to me, never would I hear, tell him to call back, can’t talk now, it was always, how’s it going mate, how’s your son, you better come and see me and Grace next time you’re here. That was my Uncle Arch.

   I was driven for some reason to return to Australia this year, and most of that was to see my Uncle Arch, in the back of my mind I knew it may be the last time.
   I was lucky enough to see him and Grace when I arrived and I am so grateful for that time with him.
   I was always made to feel welcome, and when he called me mate the last couple of years I knew he meant it, and I had gone from a bugger of a kid to my Uncle Arch’s mate, how can you thank someone for that.

   I got to see him in Adelaide in hospital and knew it would be the last time, I would travel half way around the world again, to have fifteen minutes with him to tell him thanks and I love you.
   I thought for a moment he might pick up and get better and we would see him walking the yard at the depot at Millicent road kicking stones again.
   He told me to come closer and wanted to say something, “Jeez Wol I wish you shave that bloody beard off”.
   He grabbed my hand and said “you turned out good”
   That’s because of what I learned from my Uncle Arch.
   I will miss you, I will never forget you, you will be with me always – thanks mate.

   That was my Uncle Arch