Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the occasion, yesterday, of the celebration of the 90th birthday of Mr Frank Holland. As you would well know, Madam Acting Deputy President, yesterday was St Patrick's Day and I was very honoured to attend the 90th birthday of a very fine Adelaide man, Mr Frank Holland.

Frank was born in 1923, the first child of Joe and Pauline, and was named after St Francis of Assisi. Of course, we now know that the new Pope has also adopted the name of Francis. Frank's father, Joe, served Australia in the 9th Light Horse Regiment in World War I and I recall many occasions when Joe would come to our house in Goodwood Road after attending the repatriation hospital which was just up the road from where we lived in Colonel Light Gardens. Frank, his son whose birthday it was on the weekend, was educated at St Anthony's School in Edwardstown and the Sacred Heart College in Somerton Park before he began work in various departments at Myer in the city. When World War II broke out he served in the AMF in ordnance. After a severe illness he was discharged in 1942. He went on to work in the government produce department in Port Lincoln with his friend John Kiley, whom he remained friends with all of his life.

When Frank heard that John had purchased a block of land at Glenelg North, he followed suit and in 1943 bought 23 David Avenue, Glenelg North, for the princely sum of 75 pounds which in today's currency would be $150. Frank met his wife, Shirley, while working for engineering company TJ O'Connor. They married in 1947 and Frank's best man at the wedding was a fellow called Val McCarron, who later became the State President of the Shop Assistant's Union in South Australia and would regularly ride his pushbike from Hauteville Terrace in Eastwood into the Harris Scarfe store in the city where he worked.

Frank and Shirley built a modest five-room house on the block in Glenelg North which was the happy home of their expanding family of ultimately nine children and where they spent many years of very happy life together. After six sons, Frank and Shirley finally welcomed a daughter, Margaret, into the world in 1964. Madam Deputy President, you might recall that was the year the Beatles came to Adelaide and received the biggest reception at any Beatle attendance anywhere in the world.