By ALANA MITCHELSON
“IT’S time to go, I can say I have never hurt anybody in my life.“
These are the humbling words the devoted local Rotarian Charlie Huyskens said to his son shortly before passing away late last month.
Close family friend John Boon recently recounted his memories of Mr Huyskens at a Rotary Club of Pakenham function.
“Charlie was my mentor in Rotary. He gave me the skills for not only community work, but also in business, family and life itself,“ Mr Boon said.
Mr Huyskens migrated from the Netherlands in 1953 and began harvesting potatoes at his property in Pakenham South.
Fellow Dutchman Peter van Diemen’s family immigrated shortly after the Huyskens.
“There were quite a lot of Dutch migrants in the area at the time,“ he said.
“He was a hard worker. They had to lay the potatoes out, pick them up into bags and then load up the trucks.
“Both Charlie and his wife Anna would have worked long hours and they were a young family at the time.“
Mr Huyskens was presented with the rare and highest honour in Rotary, a Paul Harris Fellowship award and later received a ruby pin on his 50th anniversary of having joined the group.
He remained an active member of the Pakenham Rotary Club well into his eighties and up until about February this year continued being involved with barbecues and other Rotary events despite developing knee problems.
In Rotary, Mr Huyskens had served on most committees and in most leadership positions, leading the Rotary Potato Project in 1977. Under his strong guidance and using his equipment, the club successfully grew 10 acres of potatoes.
George Blenkhorn, who knew Mr Huyskens for some 20 years, delivered the eulogy at his funeral service on Thursday 2 June, at St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Pakenham.
“Charlie was very community minded. He served as a councillor between 1971 and ’77 and advocated very strongly for the small townships on the swamp having access to a sealed road, which he mostly achieved,“ Mr Blenkhorn said.
“He was also very supportive of the farming community.
“I have known Charlie for many years and know no-one with better principles. He was an honest, reliable gentleman always willing to help when he could.“
In the eulogy, Mr Blenkhorn recounted stories of the family’s early days.
“On one occasion in 1956, Mr Huyskens visited his next-door neighbour, Harry Vandersloot, before lunch to borrow a ladder, only to return some time later to tell Anna he had bought a 79-acre farm on a ’handshake’ gentleman’s agreement,“ he said.
“He introduced me to Rotary and at every meeting he would shake every single member’s hands and welcome them to Rotary.“
Mr Huyskens also served as a member of the Pakenham Sewerage Authority, Pakenham South Hall committee and was the first chairman of the P.B. Ronald Trust.
Mr Huyskens passed away at age 84 and will be sorely missed by his children Tonneke, Harry, Charlie and Stella, grandchildren and his friends at Rotary.
