LONG time Dinninup resident Richard Trigwell passed away on September 20, aged 103.
Mr Trigwell was born in Donnybrook on July 22, 1911, to Walter and Isabella Trigwell, delivered by his grandmother Lucy, who was the Donnybrook midwife at the time.
He was the middle child in a family of five, and was christened Allen Richard, but was always known as Richard. They were all hard working people, and like all the pioneers of that era, endured many hardships.
At around four years old he had a holiday with his grandparents, Walter and Lucy Trigwell at Donnybrook, and became one of the victims of the polio epidemic. As a result he went through life with a lame leg, but this didn't hamper any of his activities.
Mr Trigwell had to contend with two world wars, the depression, and about four floods. The last one, in 1982, put nine feet of water through the original Haddleton homestead.
The six room homestead was built soon after Mr Trigwell’s father took up the land in 1900.
Later in his life, Mr Trigwell wrote down a few memories from his early days. He wrote, "My first memory of this life was when I was standing at the kitchen table trying to reach for the dough my mother was going to make into scones-no luck!"
His education was mostly conducted in the front room of their house, by a teacher who was sent down from Perth. Mr Trigwell felt that it must have been a shock to her system, coming to an outback place like North Dinninup, where the roads were just tracks, and the nearest town, Bridgetown, was forty miles away.
There were five Trigwells and two of the neighbours children in that small school. In 1924 the North Dinninup School opened with fourteen students. As the school was three miles away, the young Trigwells drove a horse and buggy to the school each day, leaving the horse tethered in the shade of a nearby gumtree all day.
He left school when he was 14, as most children did in those days.
On his 100th birthday, he said that one of the regrets he had was that he hadn't gained a better education. He had been offered a scholarship, but in those hard times, the family couldn't afford to send him away to school.
Mr Trigwell met his “lady love”, as he described her, at the Upper Blackwood Agricultural Show and the romance progressed when his sister Maggie invited her to stay at the farm. In July 1939 they married.
Less than a month later, World War Two began. Mr Trigwell wanted to enlist, but was unable to because of his lameness, so he contributed to the war effort by producing food and wool. Over the next five years, his children Rod, John and Anne were born.
Richard and Brenda were married for 72 years, until Mrs Trigwell’s death three years ago.
The pair had operated as a team, producing all their fruit, vegetables, and meat on the farm. Mr Trigwell had a good eye for stock, and soon became acknowledged as a very good judge of Corriedales and other sheep breeds, judging at the Wagin Woolorama, the Royal Show, many district shows and even interstate.
Mr Trigwell was also a dedicated bowler, and had a keen interest in tennis. After surrendering his driver’s licence he was frequently seen riding around the streets of Boyup Brook on his gopher. Every Tuesday afternoon he rode the 2km on his gopher up to the Lodge to play pool.
His son, Rod, acknowledged the support sister, Anne gave to her father in the years since her mother’s passing, saying she deserved a medal for her aid.
He also said that his father’s sense of humour kept him young.
“He was always ready to level the score with one of his wisecracks,” Rod Trigwell said.
“There is no doubt our lives were richer for having him with us for so long.”
