Don Henry turns 90

Family and friends packed out the Drouin Presbyterian Hall to celebrate Don Henry’s 90th birthday recently.

Don, who is still able to drive his car and keep his independence, said he hadn’t expected to reach the milestone.

Don’s cake was designed to look like his favourite vegetable garden, and Don used the occasion to share some memories of his formative years.

Born in Drouin, Don’s mother and father were Robert and Ruby Henry and they lived on a dairy farm at Mountain View.

Robert Henry had bought the property at Mountain View as he had wanted to get back onto the land after returning from service in the first World War, where he was held prisoner for two years.

“Dad’s first car was a T Model Ford and the road wasn’t even sanded,” Don said.

“There were deep wheel rut marks on the road surface, but the old T didn’t get bogged.

“Then dad bought a second hand Oldsmobile, which would not go on the un-sanded road, the road had to be sanded and the track up the hill had to be sanded too.”

Don went to Poowong East State School but was unable to continue his education further because there was no bus.

A bus was operational when Don’s younger brother Colin finished primary school, but the second World War was on and Don decided to stay on the farm to help his dad milk cows and cut ferns on the steep hills.

Don met his wife Myrle at 18 and the romance flourished. They married about four years later in 1948 and wanted to go out on their own after the birth of their first son Peter.

An opportunity to rent a property at Labertouche arose and they took it.

“Running a dairy has certainly changed over the years,” Don said as he reflected on starting his own dairy at Labertouche with no shed and just 27 cows.

“I remember when we used to milk the cows by hand, then we got the Ridd milking machines which were a big relief.

“I can still picture the old machines with the petrol engine and piston pump to create the vacuum.”

The Henry’s were mainstays at Labertouche, living there for 38 years.

“There was a Henry boy at the Labertouche school for 18 years,” Don said.

“My farming career came to a close at Labertouche when I became physically burnt out, too many long days, sometimes 10 hours a day and milk all days of the week as well as farm work.”

After spending 13 years in Healesville, Don and Myrle decided to return to the area to be closer to family and built a house in Drouin.