Alan Tilley

Alan Victor Tilley Born at Lismore on 10/08/1927 to parents Jack and Louie Mather Tilley. Jack was a WWI ANZAC Veteran who was wounded at the Gallipoli landing on 25/04/2015. He met Louie in London during the war, where she worked as a telephonist and where they were married, afterwards settling in Derrinallum in Victoria’s western districts where they had a dairy farm. Alan was a typical country boy who enjoyed rabbit shooting, playing footy, cricket and tennis. He had two elder brothers, twins John and Ted and an elder sister Roma (all deceased). His younger sister Peggy resides in Rockhampton, Queensland. As a teenager Alan went to Geelong College as a border, and was a member of the College's Football and Rowing teams. It was here, while riding his bicycle past the footy ground at Kardinia in Geelong park, that he first became aware of the Geelong Football Club and quickly became a huge fan of the Cats - a legacy which he has passed on to three generations of his family. During this time he also developed a keen interest in motorbikes and always had plenty of hair raising stories of his close calls and “prangs”. One in particular was when he ran into a sheep on a country road and flew over the handle bars, crashing to the ground on his backpack which contained sticks of dynamite! Just one of many stories throughout his life where he came within inches of death - just like his father at Gallipoli. Alan joined the Navy at the age of 18 and spent a lot the next 12 years travelling the world (including his war service in Japan, Korea and Papua New Guinea). As a seaman he served on the Australian warships HMAS Bataan and Queenborough as a navigator and gunner, rising through the ranks to Chief Petty Officer. As a young man he travelled to many exotic ports and had many fantastic experiences. Another one of his close calls was when his Appendix burst 500 miles off the coast of Yemen and he was rushed by ship to the port of Aden, where he only just made it in time to be treated at the RAF Hospital. It was during his time in the Navy that he met Norah Macinnes, a young Scottish girl from the Isle of Skye, who had come to Australia as a nurse and was working for a family in Derrinallum as a nanny. They were married in 1951 and lived mainly in Hobart and Seaford for a few years before settling in Aspendale in the mid fifties to raise a family of six children, Peter, Norman, Jacqueline, Roderick (dec), Catherine and Andrew. After he left the Navy, Alan worked in a Bank for a short time before joining the Public Service as a Customs officer in Melbourne. He had a successful career in the Customs before illness forced an early retirement. Alan took a great interest in his childrens' sporting endeavours and was also a keen fisherman, but his greatest enjoyment was to watch his beloved “Cats”. He was a member and supporter of the team he first saw in Geelong as a teenager, right up until his passing. Alan went to most games, only missing the odd interstate match and, even when his health was failing recently, never missed a game on TV. The last couple of years has seen illness take hold of a once fit and healthy octogenarian and slowly wear him down to a shadow. He put up a good fight until his last breath and died peacefully at home with his daughter Catherine. Alan has left behind a large family of 5 children, 12 grandchildren and 7 Great Grandchildren, cherished friends and old mates. May he rest in peace.