After a titan of the Dubbo community is privately cremated today, his eldest son will head to their former home ‘Terramungamine’ to dig up a Bathurst burr for display at a memorial service tomorrow.
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John Walters, his brothers James and Robert, have vivid memories of the Sunday mornings when their father Max banished them outdoors to chip the burrs as punishment for being too noisy too early.
“We’d chip burrs until our hands bled,” the brothers declared in between bouts of laughter. “Dad would bring us sandwiches and cool drinks for lunch - but that could be 2pm.”
That they fondly hang onto the memory suggests the values, principals, work ethic and humour the father passed to the sons.
Yesterday they reminisced about their “strict but fair” father as people in Dubbo and beyond mourned his death from cancer on Sunday.
John Robert Maxwell Walters MBE, AM, ESM, known to all as Max, will be a hard community act to follow.
His community service resume reveals a man unafraid of rolling up his sleeves for town and country, often rising to leadership status.
The former Dubbo deputy mayor, who represented Australia in polocrosse in his youth, served on groups as diverse as the Dubbo Show Society, Orana Regional Development Board and the International Polocrosse Council.
The aforementioned resume, including a list of 10 major awards, runs the length of two foolscap pages and reveals him as patron and life member of many organisations including Dubbo Rescue Squad.
Max Walters was instrumental in establishing the squad after a serious level crossing accident in Dubbo in 1961 confirmed that the city was lacking rescue capacity.
In 1969, in co-operation with NSW police, he led the formation of the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association, now boasting 72 squads with 3500 trained and accredited members.
Of all his achievements, Max Walters, a farmer turned successful life assurance salesman during tough times on ‘Terramungamine’, was “most proud of the Dubbo Rescue Squad”, son John says.
Squad members and representatives of organisations indebted to Mr Walters will form a guard of honour at his memorial service in St Andrew’s Uniting Church Dubbo from 11am tomorrow.
Widow Ros Walters, described by her six children as the person who made it “possible for dad to do all he did” will lead her brood including eight grandchildren into the church past mounted police.
The family will be carrying memorabilia including the potted burr, polocrosse sticks, squad overalls and hat, and pocket-book diary of their late husband, father and grandfather known for his organisational skills.
A wake will be held at the Dubbo RSL Memorial Club where songs chosen by Mr Walters will play including the Frank Sinatra classic My Way.
kim.bartley@ruralpress.com
