Gardener Allan mesmerised all with his talents
ALLAN Bruce Hotton was born a Victorian, on October 18, 1951.
He was lucky enough to become a Queenslander when his parents Elizabeth (nee Nicholson) and John Hotton bought a bus and left their grocery store in Geelong to drive the family – Margaret, Allan and Robert, to Brisbane.
The family settled at Keppera and brother Neil was born.
Like children of that era, Allan walked barefoot to school, rode his bike for miles around the area, cooked sausages on camp fires, built racing car tracks, made wooden guns and played cops and robbers.
His parents sent him to Sunday School and he then, as a teenager, attended Youth Group.
On one outing with this group he once put a handkerchief on his knee so a girl could sit on it.
There was always a gentleman in Allan.
Even walking the footpaths of Toowoomba, Allan walked on the road side.
Allan attended years eight, nine, 10, 11 and 12 at Mitchelton High School, then joined the bank of New South Wales (now Westpac), starting at a branch in the city.
He was a bank johnny in Goondiwindi in the days of Gunsynd.
He played football and squash.
He also worked in Rockhampton and Cairns.
Allan’s interest in cars grew during these years and never stopped.
He would buy, do up and sell, again and again.
He was always careful not to do enough that required a dealer’s licence.
His daughter Michelle said he did up three cars for
her before she had her licence.
When his wife Christine first met him, she said she was mesmerised by his talent to identify all Holdens, Falcons, Toyotas, Mazdas, big cars, little cars, old cars and new cars.
When mates were called up for national service, Allan believed he was missing out on serving his country and so joined the army as a permanent solder in transport.
While training for Vietnam, a change of government saw his mates go home and for Allan, the beginning of a 20-year army career.
Allan worked hard in the army, learning as much as he could through available courses and applying this knowledge in a practical way.
He made the army ways his ways.
He told his wife the six Ps were “prior planning prevents piss poor performance”.
He rose to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 (WO1), Artificer Sergeant Major (ASM), Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical engineers, serving in Brisbane, Melbourne, Oakey and Canberra.
He was a workshop manager at Oakey Workshop Battalion, 31 Supply and at the Bandyanna Workshop Battalion where he was apprentice master to about 100 apprentices.
Name the vehicle, he worked on it and drove it – trucks, tanks, water craft, motorbikes and buses.
He participated in Lighthorse re-enactments, polocrosse, parades on horse, tent pegging, intra-army squash and long distance running.
Retirement from the army saw Allan working for several businesses, but it didn’t work for him.
He had accumulated a huge shed full of stuff.
He gave some away, but still had enough to open his own workshop, called Craftsman Motors in Mort St, Toowoomba.
First customers were friends, but the business was built mainly on word of mouth.
Allan was successful because he truly listened to his customers, both male and female, he had a fantastic work ethic and built respect from his customers.
He loved diagnosing, not necessarily relying on diagnostic equipment, but by using it in conjunction with common sense and logic.
He strongly believed in keeping up-to-date.
He increased his knowledge through TAFE and workshops.
He was an A-grade mechanic, roadworthy inspector, authorised officer for the light vehicle modification scheme, qualified LPG and NGV mechanic and a state judge for Work Skills Australia.
Allan and his wife Christine met at squash. He was the man who came in army gear, with the sandwiches for supper, that changed at the courts.
He played daytime squash after retirement.
Together, he and his wife built their business.
They built a banker, solicitor, accountant, real estate team and built an investment portfolio of 11 properties. They line-danced several times a week, played squash, landscaped four of their homes, travelled overseas, camped and caravanned around a lot of Australia, bought and sold a few cars and more.
One friend commented on how much energy Allan had. Although in retirement he did rest sometimes, but it was with a book or movie.
Australian native plants became a huge part of Allan’s purpose in life in the last 10 years or so.
His aim in life was to show people how natives could be grown in an urban landscaped garden, rather than a bush garden.
He became an active member of SGAP Toowoomba and was vice-president for a while.
One member wrote: “Dear Allan, I am writing this letter to you now to say a big thank you for all you have done for our club. You have given us precious time, lectures, demonstrations and show and tell from your garden. We have all learnt so much from your practical experiences. We hope you feel the love and thanks we all wish you.”
To show how it could be done, Allan entered their garden in The Chronicle Garden Competition during the Carnival of Flowers.
The two won prizes in Native Garden, Waterwise Garden, New Vogue Landscaping, garden without annuals, Cliff Coddington Award, City Large Garden and more.
The feedback from the visiting public was overwhelming admiration, some saying it was the best garden in the competition, so tranquil and inspiring and so full of bird life.
One of the judges called it a “walkabout garden” – a good description.
As well, the couple helped raise thousand dollars for St Andrew’s Toowoomba Hospital, the hospital Allan spent time in as a palliative care patient for three days before his passing after a 10-year battle with prostate cancer. Allan wanted to promote native plants in another way, through supporting Friends of Peacehaven Park as a volunteer at the nursery.
One member wrote: “I’ll always have fond memories of Allan – his enthusiasm, his encyclopaedic knowledge of native plants and wise advice about growing them. The brave way he faced his illness. He will be very much missed.”
His wife Chris, daughter and son-in-law Michelle and David and grandson Charc will always remember Allan as a loving pa.