Vale: Dal Withers
Southport identity, Gold Coast stalwart, good bloke, kind, gentle and generous man Dal Withers passed away recently.
Dallas Henry Withers, born 1 July 1936, was a smart engineer who played a vital part of Little Nerang Dam's development, the Gold Coast Seaway and sand-pumping jetty project, through to managing the 1974 Gold Coast floods relief efforts, and also serving as a civil engineer from PNG, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
It was through the Gold Coast Street Library, which I helped establish and then coordinated the Southport branch, that I go to know Dal. We chatted often near the library table under the shady trees in Tuesley Park on Monday mornings, with him bragging about his children’s and grandchildren’s achievements and looking forward to the next time he’d see them.
Dallas Henry Withers, born 1 July 1936, was a smart engineer who played a vital part of Little Nerang Dam's development, the Gold Coast Seaway and sand-pumping jetty project, through to managing the 1974 Gold Coast floods relief efforts, and also serving as a civil engineer from PNG, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
It was through the Gold Coast Street Library, which I helped establish and then coordinated the Southport branch, that I go to know Dal. We chatted often near the library table under the shady trees in Tuesley Park on Monday mornings, with him bragging about his children’s and grandchildren’s achievements and looking forward to the next time he’d see them.
He loved reading and his passion was Wilbur Smith’s African novels about the Courtneys and Ballantynes as well as the host of thrillers Smith churned out. Dal’s ongoing challenge to us: find a Wilbur he hadn’t read! We only found a few but he was chuffed even if we offered up an old favourite. He was interviewed by Jess O'Donnell (below) as part of a university media assignment featuring the Street Library.
Dal, a renowned chocolate lover and Brisbane SHS alumni, well known around the suburb, in latter years beetling around with his beaming smile on his mobility scooter, shopping at Australia Fair, having coffee, visiting the library. I’d often hear a call “Ian” and turn around to see Dal waving me down for a chin wag.
Dall - father to Clinton, Troy, and Tracey and grandfather to Josh, Zac, Chris, Chloe, Finn, and Emmett - passed away at the Gold Coast University Hospital on January 31. A memorial event was held at the Broadwater Parklands last Friday. He is dearly missed by all who knew him.
Cheers old mate: rest in peace.
DAL LOVES HIS WILBURS
Dal, a renowned chocolate lover and Brisbane SHS alumni, well known around the suburb, in latter years beetling around with his beaming smile on his mobility scooter, shopping at Australia Fair, having coffee, visiting the library. I’d often hear a call “Ian” and turn around to see Dal waving me down for a chin wag.
Dall - father to Clinton, Troy, and Tracey and grandfather to Josh, Zac, Chris, Chloe, Finn, and Emmett - passed away at the Gold Coast University Hospital on January 31. A memorial event was held at the Broadwater Parklands last Friday. He is dearly missed by all who knew him.
Cheers old mate: rest in peace.
DAL LOVES HIS WILBURS
