BILL WORTHINGTON (1915 – 2006) A Man with Drive and Passion.

Lance Corporal William Worthington QX11731

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Jupp, Faust, Waite, Dobbins and Setter are some familiar early pioneering names of Proserpine; people with drive, dreams and enthusiasm for what they were doing. Many men and women have followed in the footsteps of these early pioneers; people with similar ideals who have contributed to our livesand improved the lifestyle of our community.  

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One such man is Bill Worthington. Born on June 15, 1915 at Castlemaine, Victoria, he came to Proserpine in 1925 with his parents, William and Catherine. After finishing school at 14, he became an apprentice carpenter. While employed by Dave Mackay, he worked on building jobs in Brisbane and New South Wales. Upon finishing his trade, he joined the circus and made his way home to Proserpine.  

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In his teens, Bill was a talented boxer and cyclist and in his 20s, he was heavily involved in the local theatre. At sixteen, Bill moved to his own dairy and cattle property of 22.5 acres located at Strathdickie. At the age of twenty, he built his house there with Ollie Britten. This clearly demonstrated the incredible drive that Bill possessed, and he quickly channelled this towards enriching the lifestyle of this community.  

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Bill became a member of the local militia and when war broke out in 1939, he enlisted. Because of his militia experience, he helped train others at Redbank Plains, Brisbane, before being sent to the Middle East in 1940 as part of backup troops to those on the front line. With the Japanese advance in south-east Asia in 1941- 42, Bill was amongst troops brought back to Australia and sent to New Guinea where he served in Milne Bay and Shaggy Ridge until 1943 and in Borneo in 1944.  

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When the war was over and Bill returned to civilian life, he took up French polishing and spray painting in his brother's business and then with Mr R Ruge. While overseas, he had asked his family to sell his farm.

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Bill joined the RSL and was a foundation member of the Ex-Servicemen’s Club. He became a Life Member and served as president of both organisations. For almost forty years, Bill served the RSL of Australia and he assisted particularly with the funerals of ex-servicemen.  

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On a lighter side, Bill and his sons were responsible for the first ever toad race which was held at an RSL barbecue at Pattemore’s Caravan Park, Airlie Beach in the 1960s.  

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Bill held several positions on numerous organisations - President of the Proserpine Amateur Swimming Club; Vice President of the Whitehaven Aged Care Committee and President of the Proserpine Meals on Wheels Committee. He also served on P&C Committees of both primary and secondary schoolsand was adopted by the Cannonvale State School as their WW2 veteran. He was also a member of the Boy Scouts Committee and Proserpine Citizens’ Band Committee.  

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Furthermore, Bill was a Foundation Member of the Proserpine Historical Museum, serving as both President and Treasurer of the ‘Save the Loco’ Committee. He used his carpentry skills to build the museum's ‘Out House’ display, as well as stools and benches for public use. He also contributed to the museum’s fundraising efforts by constructing dolls’ houses etc to be raffled.

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On Australia Day, 1992, Bill Worthington was fittingly awarded the Shire Community Award for his contribution to his community.

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Bill and his wife, Peg, lived all their married life in Proserpine where they raised four children - Peter, Bruce, Neil and Janet. We were indeed fortunate to have Bill Worthington as part of our community.  

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Story and photo sourced from Proserpine Historical Museum Archives.

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