By Kyra Gillespie
Pakenham Central Probus founding member Jack Irving has celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by friends and family.
He was born in Ballarat on April 28 1928, where he saw out his schooling years and first job with the Victorian Railway as a messenger boy at 14 years old.
Despite being only a little boy during the horror years of WWII, Jack recalls the blackouts.
“We thought we would be bombed, so we would have to black out all the windows and put jars over the lights.”
These blackouts required that all windows and doors should be covered at night with material such as heavy curtains, cardboard or paint, to prevent the escape of any glimmer of light that might aid enemy aircraft.
Jack is an avid gardener – and says living through the Depression years contributed to that.
“During The Great Depression dad always had a very good garden; that was the only way he could provide for the family.
“We used to make our own butter using a manual churner. I’ll never forget mum’s homemade buttermilk scones.
“Jobs were scarce, so dad always picked up work where he could. He worked anywhere as long as he was in work.”
Jack’s first job at railway took him to Melbourne where he worked at suburban stations and had 15 years in the Railway Goods Yard.
In 1966 Jack took a career change and moved to Mirboo North with his first wife Jean and their four children to take up share farming with his uncle.
After three years they were able to purchase a farm of their own at Limonite where they milked 50 cows on 80 acres in 1970.
A downturn in the dairy industry in 1971 and hungry young mouths to feed meant Jack, along with many other farmers, had to look for alternative income.
“It was a lousy time for dairy, so I ended up working with the Shire of Mirboo as a part time Secretary and par time Filtration Plant Operator at the Water Board.
“From that I ended up as the CEO of the Mirboo North Sewerage Authority where I was part of over $2 million of works.”
Jack’s work for the Authority saw him awarded The Citizen of the Year for the Shire of Mirboo, alongside his work in the dairy industry, local scout groups and other service groups in 1986.
He retired in 1990; he and his wife Jean running cows and vealers on their 80 acre property on Grand Ridge Road. Jack later sold the farm and went to live at Macrae.
Jean passed away in 2004, the same year his now-wife Lyn’s husband Ron also passed on.
Freemasonry also played a significant part in Jack’s life – aside from being a regular organist for his own and surrounding Lodges, it’s also where he met Lyn.
The couple married by 2009, after which they made the move to Cardinia Waters in Pakenham.
The couple are proud founding members of Pakenham Central Probus, where Jack was Secretary for two years, and part of the Village Caravan Club.
“We managed to get around Australia in just 10 weeks because Jack is such a speedy gonzalez!” Lyn said.
“They used to call him Gelignite Jack after the Australian racing driver Jack Murray.”
The 90-year-old is also renowned for him home brew, which he makes out of his garage.
“Everyone saves their longnecks for Jack,” Lyn added.
Having both been a parent of four children, Jack and Lyn have between them 18 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
The 90-year-old doesn’t see the big birthday as a big milestone, despite having lifesaving open heart surgery recently.
“I didn’t know it was that exciting to make 90,” he said with a laugh.
“I think it must be the fresh country air that I was breathing in every day at 5am as a dairy farmer.
“I think my advice would be to live by your means and don’t take life too seriously.”
