By JESSE GRAHAM
Athol Frethjoff Egeberg
24 January, 1926 – 2 April 2015
ATHOL Egeberg lived numerous lifetimes in his 89 years – as a teacher, plumber, coppersmith, councillor and RSL president.
Many would be lucky to do half of what he had done in their time.
Born on 24 January 1926 to Clarrie and Alice Egeberg in Preston, with sister Clarice and brother Eric, Athol grew up in Melbourne’s inner north.
Though he moved to Healesville later in his life, the north stayed with Athol through his life, through his unrelenting support of following the Collingwood football team.
He attended Collingwood Tech trade school, while training to be a plumber and gasfitter and enlisted in the armed forces after finishing his apprenticeship at Carlton United Brewery.
Athol met Marj Fields, his first wife, at a dance in Preston in the mid-1940s – the pair married in 1947 and became parents to Athol’s first-born daughter, Sandra.
However, the marriage did not last, and the pair divorced.
Re-marrying in 1959 to Hazel Newey, Athol again became a parent to Karen and Karl – but the marriage, again, was not to last.
In the mid-1970s, Athol met Jean, and they married at their home at Juel Crescent in Healesville in 1980, surrounded by their family and friends.
The pair became parents to Athol Junior and Kurl, and Athol took up the role of father to David, Jean’s son, and adopted his grandson, Rowan, in later years.
Though family was important to Athol, he had a colourful and varied history in organisations around the Yarra Valley.
To name only a few of his achievements, he was a chairman of the Healesville Sewerage Trust; commissioner of Healesville Water Trust; a member of the Upper Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges Authority; a member of the review panel for the Upper Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges Regional Strategy; a trustee of Coranderrk Cemetery; the president of Healesville’s RSL Sub-Branch; a councillor and president of the Shire of Healesville; and a trained secondary school teacher.
Toward the end of his life, Athol was diagnosed with dementia, and was cared for at home by his family before becoming a resident at Kirkbrae, where he passed away on Thursday, 2 April.
Athol Egeberg was farewelled by family and friends in a service at Le Pine Funeral Chapel in Healesville on Friday, 10 April.
Civil celebrant, Mark Carey, ran Athol’s service and celebration of his life, and said he asked the family how they would describe Athol.
“Strong-willed, bad-tempered, outspoken; balanced with caring, selfless, strong, a man of integrity, community-minded and a hard-worker – good, honest descriptions,” Mr Carey said.
Mr Carey said that grief and loss affected every person in different ways, and reminded those at the service to take the time to grieve, and to talk about Athol and the times they had with him.
“He is still very much part of your lives,” he said.
“You see Athol will now continue to live with you; it might be when you hear a certain piece of music; it may be when you are looking out over the hills of Healesville, a place where Athol has played a role in the community; it might be when you are watching his beloved Magpies play a game of football; or it might be when you gather on a special occasion that you know that Athol would have loved to have been at.
“And this is because the past, with all its meaning, will now remain sacred and secure with you forever.”
Healesville RSL’s commemorations officer, Bob Gannaway, led a tribute from the RSL following family tributes to Athol, to finish the service.
Athol Egeberg, who filled each one of his 89 years to the brim with experiences, was then laid to rest at Healesville Cemetery.
