Rewards for effort

– Mara Pattison-Sowden
BILL Selby was born on 6 March 1922 to William Holis Selby and Florence Ethal Simpson in Ormond, Victoria.
The family moved to Woori Yallock with all their possessions in a horse and cart when Bill was 18 months old.
He went to the Woori Yallock State School as a lad, but when school finished he worked hard helping his father grow vegetables on their land.
They picked most of the vegetables themselves and would take them down to sell at the city markets.
Bill wanted to enlist in the army for the war effort, but was told to go home and keep growing vegetables.
When he was old enough to drive, Bill bought a log truck and told stories of who thrashed their trucks and who didn’t right up until he was 88.
The local youth of Woori would stand on the running boards of his dad’s tray truck to get to the local dances.
They were the highlight of his week, and it was at one of these dances as a sprightly 21 year old that Bill met the love of his life, Joyce Long.
On Saturday 29 May, 1943, Bill and Joyce were married at All Saints church in Yarra Junction. He loved to tell the story of the steam train stopping in front of the church blowing its whistle.
On 9 December 1945, Bill became a father to twin girls. The week that followed was a nightmare for him. Sadly, one of the girls did not survive. Deanna was born healthy and happy.
In 1949 Bill packed up the caravan and moved Joyce and Deanna to McVeighs where he managed the mill, which cleared the land for the Upper Yarra Dam. When the clearing was finished he was offered a job caretaking the McVeigh township.
Bill would boast of how he was sent to pick up the new Euclids and Belliedumpers.
He loved his time working at the dam where many lasting friendships were made. While living at McVeighs, William was born in 1950 and Trevor was born in 1954.
When the family moved back to Woori Yallock in the sixties, his parents had moved to Pascoe Vale and Bill bought the land from them. When the dam township was dismantled, Bill moved the houses back to Woori Yallock and rented them out.
He worked for the Board of Works for 40 years, including driving his seven-yard-long truck. His children often commented that he was a very astute businessman for his time, and he was always thinking of the future.
Bill was a very active sportsman. He played cricket for Woori Yallock until he was about 70 years old, and he played football with Woori Yallock, Yarra Junction and the Upper Yarra Dam teams.
He ran a pool hall in a shed on the family property, which later became the family home, and he built a gym and squash courts in Woori Yallock.
Bill played an active role in his children’s sporting lives as well.
He was secretary of the junior football club, and he umpired, coached and even cut up oranges for the boys’ cricket and football teams.
He used to wash the jumpers for the senior teams, hosing them down before washing and hanging them. Bill and Joyce were life-members of the football clubs.
Joyce passed away last October. Bill is survived by his sisters, Norma and Elaine, who he loved with all his heart and spoke proudly of their lives together.
His life has been enriched with love and respect as his family expanded to nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.