NOEL Hawley was a young Lithgow railwayman getting on with his job as station assistant on the night shift at the then active Rydal railway station when he was shot dead in a motiveless murder.
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Forty years later close to 65 family and friends packed the Rydal Railway Station on Saturday to unveil Noel Hawley’s memorial and pay tribute his legacy, his daughter Cassandra Coleman and her daughters and his granddaughters Katie and Rose Coleman.
Cassandra thanked a number of associations who had participated including Hotshots Hockey Club, the Rail, Transport and Bus Union and the Rydal Village Association.
It was a lovely sunny afternoon of remembering a nice young man who was a keen hockey player, loved his young family and a proud railway worker.
Thirty seven close family and friends then travelled to the Coronation hotel in Portland to share a meal.
At the Coronation Hotel Cassandra mentioned and thanked a number of people incuding Karen Brown and Sue Kearns who went to school with her father Noel; Noel’s brother Peter and his wife Pam who travelled from Singleton and who Cassandra hadn’t seen in 30 years; Noel’s other brother Geordie Hawley from Lithgow; Greg Standen from Bathurst, who worked on the railway at the time and Bryan Williams from the Rail Bus and Tram union who help organise sponsorship of the plaque.
Cassandra’s uncle and aunt Kevin and Annette Keegan, who were in her parents’ bridal party travelled from Lake Macquarie.
Also present was her mother’s other sister Carmel Turnbull who was also in the bridal party.
Cassandra made the point that all the bridal party were present.
She made a special mention of her husband Robert who had quietly behind the scenes supported her in recent months during this very emotional journey.
