Funeral Transcript of William James Hubbard
(1896-1991)

To all who are assembled here today to pay their last respects to William James Hubbard,
on behalf of his Family, welcome and thank you for caring to attend his Funeral Service.

To his Family, - known as Jim and to all in Beechworth he was known as Charlie.

He was born in Hull, England, on the 4th July, 1896.
Hull, the City in England which at that time was famous for it's Cathedrals, later bacame part of the hub in the East of the Industrial Revolution as mechanisation replaced hand skills. Stephenson had startled the nation with the "iron Horse"; the steam locomotive which frightened horses, caused excitment for small boys and caused the politicians of the day to dream of progressive revolution in industry or denounce the monster as a blight on the peace and tranquility of Kings and Queens and English gentlemen. The clergy of the day were divided with some of them denouncing the monster as the work of the devil manifesting himself among the people. Children received little education beyond the ability to little more than read and write and were put to work at the age of 10 or 12 years to help families survive the harsh economy and the severe winter climate.

I know nothing of the early life of Charlie and we leave that to his family to piece together from the snippets of information he would have told them. At the age of 20 years, in 1914, we are told he joined the Royal Navy. Those were the times of "Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves". The HMS Hood, Shropshire, Prince of Wales to name but three, floating arsenals with awesome fire power from 4" and 6" guns. In spite of the pride which oozed from Whitehall, service at sea was dangerous at times, with harsh discipline, and many of England's bravest sons lost their lives and went to watery graves in the lonliness of the high seas.
Jim saw action in the Crimean Peninsular at the landing of Anzac Cove. The ever threatened peril of the German U boats often turned adventure into trauma and he did well to survive World War 1.

Obviously, in about 1926, at the age of 32 years, he married Annie Rebecca Kendall. Incidently, a member of the family told me that their mother passed away on the 15th September, 1989, two years to the day before his death.
He is survived by his family, Bill, John, George, Eddie, Allan, Pat, Eric, Bruce and Ray. There were 2 infants, one a twin of Eddie and another born with an infant disability, who have predeceased him.
Eddie's wife informs me that there are 25 Grandchildren and 32 Great Grandchildren.

About 32 years ago, he turned up at Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth. For several years, his family did not have a clue of his whereabouts. His working life had been largely spent as a Merchant Seaman. He was in love with sail and the tall ships in particular. He was skilled at splicing ropes and cables and his expertise in that area of skill was eagerly sought.

By the time he reached hospital, he was apparently an acute alcoholic, suffering deafness and was hospitalised to assist his rehabilitation and a return to comparative good health. Any many a story I have been told by the hospital staff of the time he spent in their care. He obviously took great delight in teasing the female staff and making advances to some of the female patients. For some time, he had his own room in Bristol Ward. He assisted the domestic staff with helping to dry the dishes and minor cleaning chores. We have received several calls from present and former members who remembered his time in their care and were saddened to learn that he had died. Obviously, they were very fond of him.

The poet Kipling wrote, "East is East and West is West but never the twain shall meet". Charlie could never be persuaded to do a single thing for anyone when he decided against it. No matter how hard the District Nurses or the Home Helps; firstly Lillian Martin and later Cheryl Sugars advised him on a particular course of welfare, he stubbornly resisted their advice and did it his way. He only accepted from them what suited him. He was as deaf as the proverbial "doorpost" and often used his disability to not comprehend any would be helpful advice or suggestions from anyone. Others have related to me his reluctance to use soap and water. Yet, he appreciated the things which others did for him.
When he was eventually discharged from Mayday Hills Hospital, he bought himself a small caravan and settled in Lake Sambell Caravan Park. Sometime later, the caravan began to leak water over his bed. His stubborn nature or his reluctance to have others help him caused a fair deal of concern for his fellow members of the R.S.L. who eventually erected a sturdy roof after serious deliberation over his plight and saw to it that at least, he remain dry inside the caravan.

It was Anzac Day 1990, when the caring members of Beechworth Sub Branch brought him up to town to be part of the remberance service of the day. I vividly remember him when I was introduced to Charlie at refreshments after the conclusion of the remberance service. And to see his delight when he must have been able to hear the Albury Pipe Band as they offered several stirring tunes as part of the fellowship and refreshment of the day. Unfortunately, he was not well enough to attend this year and all Branch members shared with him their disappointment at his not being able to take part at the Service of Remberance. And I am told by Eddie that to the best of his belief, it would have been the only Anzac Day he would have missed since being discharged from active service.

So much of life of 95 years cannot be told in a short space of time. You are left with your memories of a father, grandfather and great grandfather, a friend or someone with whom you may have served in defence of freedom and principle.

Death does not always come as a burden. It comes as a relief to those who suffer or who can no longer enjoy a good quality of life and not want to be a burden upon those who care for them. So when Ken MacKay and his family called to see him last Sunday and found him passed away, although their initial shock was great, they I am sure, would have realised in due time, that he had been slowly sinking away over the past few months and his time to die must be coming closer. Not to die in hospital or any other place, but in the privacy of his own quarters where he was determined to stay to the very end.
He died in very much the way he lived, a quiet private person who neither asked nor seldom sought to give favour to others.

You are left with your many memories and all that remains is to grant him his last wish. He wanted to be taken to the hill at the cemetery in Beechworth, where he had enjoyed the last 32 years or so of his life.
So in accordance with that wish, we now commit his last remains to the grave.

And I now invite the members of the Beechworth Sub Branch of R.S.L. to come forward and offer their own very special tribute and funeral rite.