By Jessica Anstice
More than 250 mourners gathered at the Lang Lang Memorial Hall on Monday 3 February to celebrate the life of popular Lang Lang man, Doug Hamilton.
After tripping over and hitting his head on a footpath Doug was taken to Alfred Hospital before peacefully passing away on Saturday 25 January.
A community man, Doug was elected as a Cardinia Shire councillor in 2002, spending two terms as the representative for the Port Ward before retiring in 2008.
Doug was described as “very passionate” when representing the views and needs to his local area and in particular, its rural base.
Former mayor and Ranges Ward Cr Graeme Legge OAM graciously spoke about Doug’s time on council at the funeral.
“I believe Doug had a very strong work ethic. He was honourable, could be trusted and was reliable. He also had a fine sense of humour,” Mr Legge said.
“He was an excellent community representative in that constituencies asked questions and he would answer and supply necessary information. When action was needed he contacted relevant staff and when issues were raised he brought them to the council table.
“He had a great fondness for his own community and the broader community.”
Also in attendance was current Cardinia Shire Cr Collin Ross, who described Doug as a “real gentlemen”.
“He was hardworking and really stood up for the community in his ward, particularly Lang Lang,” Cr Ross said.
“Doug was a very friendly guy. I didn’t know him much on a personal level but whenever we had events he would always be up for a bit of a chat.
“He was a chap who lived life to the fullest and gave everything he had to offer. He will be sorely missed.”
Doug was born in Oakleigh on 31 August 1937, youngest son of Hugh and Gladys Hamilton.
He had three older siblings, Maurice and Joyce who have passed and his greatest mate, his sister Betty who was present at the funeral.
His life started in Clayton, where his parents were dairy farmers.
After attending Clayton South Primary School, when it came time to start high school the family moved to Yannathan and farmed on South Yannathan Road.
The Hamilton’s then moved to the farm that Doug was to eventually spend almost the next 70 years on, a farm on the corner of Westernport Road and Priestley’s Road at Yannathan South. In the 1970s Priestley’s Road became Heads Road.
He completed two years at Warragul Tech School before starting full-time work on the family farm.
Outside of work he was a footballer with Catani and he played tennis with the Yannathan South tennis team.
A keen Collingwood Football Club supporter, he was laid to rest with his favourite Magpies scarf on.
He was a proud member of the Young Farmers Club and as many of his friends, greatly benefitted from it.
“Dad and his mates would attend Young Farmers dances, debates, farm tours and social
outings on weekends,” Doug’s son Scott Hamilton said.
“It taught them lots of life skills, ones that dad was able to apply throughout his life.
“Young Farmers was the social outlet for these young adults. Dad used to knock around with the members of Chatfield’s Band who played at the dances. Many a great night was had around the boot of a car sinking long necks or king browns.”
But through Young Farmers Doug’s life was to change.
On a Saturday night in either 1958 or ’59 he we went to a 21st party at Monomeith and across the room he spied the girl of his dreams.
In 1963, Doug married Pamela Ramage at the Finley McQueen Church in Lang Lang on Pamela’s 21st birthday.
The wedding breakfast was the first allowed in the main hall of the Yannathan Hall.
A fact the family is proud of is they have all had their 21st birthdays in the Yannathan Hall, including Doug’s son Scott and daughter Julianne.
Pamela and Doug purchased the family farm after they married and Doug worked diligently and hard to improve the farm and make it the most productive it could be.
Heavily involved in the farming community, Doug was president of the West Gippsland Artificial Breeders and played a pivotal part in the bringing together of the numerous local and regional artificial breeding associations under one umbrella to form a peak body, the Herd Improvement Organisation (HIO).
He was state president of the HIO in the late 70s representing the interests of dairy farmers
to governments, both local, state and federally.
During his time as president, Parwan Park at Bacchus Marsh was established as a centre of excellence for genetic research and it still operates today.
He also became a member of the Private Water Diverters Committee representing farmers from the Kooweerup Swamp and West Gippsland.
In 1974 a significant thing happened in Doug’s life.
The Rotary Club of Cranbourne sponsored and established the Rotary Club of Kooweerup – Lang Lang, which Doug was a charter member of.
He became president in the mid-90s after returning to the club after a break whilst working at Heinz.
“Dad really enjoyed the camaraderie and fellowship of Rotary,” Scott said.
“I’d like to on behalf of the family thank Rotary for everything they have done for dad. You enriched his life and we are all the better for it.”
In 2005 he was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship for his service to the community.
In the midst of everything, Doug was a scout leader at First Catani with Pamela, who was a cub leader and district cub leader.
Once he retired in 1995, he was looking for other interests when the idea of forming a Bendigo Community Bank was mooted.
“Dad was a great believer in the idea and could see the benefit for Lang Lang,” Scott explained.
“Dad became part of the steering committee and then spent 20 years on the board of the Bendigo Community Bank in Lang Lang, 10 as vice president.
“He was passionate about the bank and what it could do for our community.”
About 25 years ago, he and Joy Adderley established a flag raising ceremony in Lang Lang to celebrate Australia Day.
In 2010, exactly 10 years before he died, Doug was named as Lang Lang’s Australia Day Citizen of the Year and the Cardinia Shire Australia Day Citizen of the Year.
Six years later Scott was honoured by the Lang Lang community to be the Citizen of the Year.
“I am immensely proud that my name appears beside dads on the honour board,” he said.
At the funeral Scott spoke highly of his father.
“Dad undoubtedly had challenges and hurdles along the way but he never gave into himself
and he was the greatest father Julianne and I could ask for,” he said.
“Rest easy dad, we will love you and never forget you. You were so much more than dad; you were my hero.”
