Handy Fred loved to keep busy
FREDERICK (Fred) John Wingett was born in Millmerran on March 13, 1940.
He was brought up on dairy farms, helping his parents – the late Clive Albert and the late Thelma Helena.
From Millmerran, they opened a farm at Captain’s Mountain and ended up on a farm at Inglewood.
Fred sometimes went and stayed in Toowoomba with an aunt.
One very rainy night Fred went to a dance at Middle Ridge, where he met a girl, named Judith Caroline Brunner, who worked at Betros’ fruit shop.
He decided to get a job in Toowoomba while he saw this girl.
He’d started working at the Defiance flour building, but after he decided to marry Judith he wanted to find another job that was more to his liking.
He was 21-years-old at the time and had only worked on farms until then.
So he went to work for Reece Edwards Car Sales in the workshop.
He loved that job.
He also worked weekends doing work at Mr Edwards house, fixing things around the house.
Fred and Judy were married for 52 years and had two children, Caroline Maree and John Frederick.
Reece Edwards moved to another building and where he was working became John Armstrong’s Car Sales.
Fred became manager of the spare parts and did work at Mr Armstrong’s house at weekends.
He did not like being manager so went back to being “one of the boys”.
Fred worked in the building for 26 years then he started to get sick, so left this site and worked for a welding shop.
But after two years his health became worse.
He began seeing a doctor and eventually saw a specialist from Brisbane and he was told to never return to work.
He had a genetic lung disease.
He could no longer mow his backyard, but even then he would do anything for anyone.
Besides his usual work, he laid rocks and concrete for Brunner’s Concreting, making water falls, rock fences – you name it, he could do it.
He liked to help his friends and family – especially when his family went for a holiday, he would work on the homes they stayed in to pay rent.
Eventually he gave up work to live in a village and even then, he put up tanks and laid paths with concrete he got from the contractors which was left over from other jobs and even put up fences.
He lived in the Willow Glen Village for 18 years before he died on July 4, 2017.
Fred did exams when he was working for Nissen, which his wife kept.
His son was amazed at the different cars he worked on.
He got 94% on a BMW exam.
He will not be forgotten for all the work he has done for so many people and he always lived in overalls, even when he went to the beach.
Fred joined the Native Orchid Club in 2009 and had to give up his orchids and shade house in 2017.
He was also the second vice president of the club.
Fred loved fishing, either in a boat, or off shore, in his overalls.
Fred had one granddaughter and two grandsons and three great grandsons.
Fred’s daughter Caroline had a daughter Tiffany and a son Mark. His son John had a son named Jake.
Tiffany had two sons, Tyler and Cooper and Mark had one son, Bryant.