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1. From Father Vic's Sister Heather
McGaw (nee Dalton) - Typed by Colin Gray from Heather's hand written pages
Victor Lawrence Dalton's Eulogy
Father Victor Dalton was born on the 21st February, 1939,
the eldest child of Joseph and Agnes Dalton at Ingham Hospital.
At age 2 Victor went missing on the cane farm on the
banks of the Herbert River.
Mum couldn't find him and called the men in to look
for him. They found him in amongst the cane with the goats. He had a bin
and was trying to milk the goats like mum.
Aged 4, Victor was standing on the footpath outside
Anthony's in Ingham, watching the bombers going over from the Ingham Airdrome.
The planes loaded with bombs for New Guinea. One plane had engine trouble
and was just skimming the tops of the Rain Trees in Herbert Street. A
car travelling along, the driver had his head out the window watching
the plane, when he mounted the footpath and collected Victor and put him
through the plate glass window.
He was unrecognisable, except for a blazer he was wearing.
Our mother played hockey and had material left over from a blazer that
she made and made one for Victor. The fire brigade next door to Anthony's,
the fire officer recognised his blazer. Victor suffered lacerations and
internal injuries plus a very badly broken right arm in several places.
He was admitted to hospital. Years later when he used to put his right
arm straight out in front of him, the arm always had an “L”
shape.
He attended State School, at Ingham. When he was about
8 he attended Lex Frasers Boxing School where he learnt to box. His sparing
partner was Frank Ali, few people knew he was learning boxing. Around
age 12 the school bully picked on Victor and they proceeded to fight under
the mango tree. The bully was a street fighter, where as Victor was danced,
ducked and weaved. The Teachers realized Victor was beating the bully.
After the fight both boys were taken to the Office. Victor was very academic
at school.
After a few months after this incident, the boys used
to swim in the Sandy Waterhole, it had water lillies and Hyancinths growing
in there. The bully was caught in amongst the vegetation and was drowning,
and Victor saved him and they became friends. Victor and Trevor Pryor
used to race each other in the waterhole.
Mum was a music teacher and taught Victor the piano
and violin and later went on to the convent where he continued his lessons.
At around age 11 Victor joined the Municipal Band where he leant to play
the Euphonium, it is like a small tuba. Later in his teens he bought himself
a trumpet and he also learnt the guitar.
When Victor was 12 mum enrolled him in a correspondent
course with the Melbourne Art Training Institute, he proceeded to lean
pencil drawings and went on to oil paints. He always loved the oil paints
and did several paintings, he gave mum several. He used to come home on
holidays and paint, he loved the colour blue.
At 15 he finished school in Ingham and received an apprenticeship
with Spears, the electrician, after 12 months he transferred to N.E.A.
where he finished his apprenticeship at the Townsville Power House.
During that time he bordered with Uncle and Aunty and
their 6 children, Mums brother, while living there he learnt judo. He
also was with St. Vincent de Paul as a volunteer and was on call and occasionally
worked at the men's shelter.
When Victor had finished his apprenticeship he was in
the control room at the power house. Reporting to work one morning, they
had a fault and were having problems in the control room, he was investigating
when he struck an arch and the place exploded and caught fire. He was
burnt on the face, neck and hands, he had to climb down a 40 foot ladder
to reach the ground, all this time he was on fire. When he reached the
ground he was trying to put the fire on his face out with his hands on
fire. He spent several weeks in hospital for burns.
Victor entered the Banyo Seminary in his 20's to become
a Priest, Bishop Michael and Victor were in the same class at the seminary.
Victor was ordained a Catholic Priest on the 28th June, 1969 at Sacred
Heart Cathedral at 10am by His Lordship Bishop La Farlkner. Sunday 29th
June, 1969 he celebrated Mass at St. Patrick's Church, South Townsville.
He served in Mundingburra, Ingham, Bowen, Inlea Creek,
Railway Estate, Mt. Isa, Richmond, Hughenden and St. Mary's West End.
He was always interested in St. Vincent de Paul.
While in Mt. Isa he became interested in the Dalton
Family History. He met cousins, Uncles and Aunts in Mt. Isa, and that
started him on the Family Tree, he was able to go back to 1770 in Ireland
while Parish Priest in Hughenden.
The relations recently had a Family Reunion where Victor
was praised for the Family History. Also Elizabeth Connor an Ancestor
and Convict, her bonnet is now in the Cork Museum because of Victor.
While in Hughenden Victor learnt he had heart problems
and Parkinsons disease and was transferred to St. Mary's Parish where
he could receive treatment and care.
Victor was a humble, dedicated and caring person.
Heather
Note from Gerry Dalton:
Regarding the bonnet to which Heather is referring:
Colin and Lou Gray of New Zealand commissioned a beautifully embroidered
and hand worked bonnet to be made in the honour of Mary Connor, the Irish
convict girl transported on the ‘Elizabeth’ in 1828. Mary
married George Gray and had their family near the Crookwell district of
New South Wales and this family formed the basis of our large extended
family today. Colin and Lou took this bonnet to Ireland for a very special
ceremony at the Cork Gaol and this bonnet is now on display in the gaol
as a tribute to our ancestor. The bonnet was inspired by Dr Christina
Henri’s ‘Roses from the Heart’ project which is a project
to present a memorial bonnet for every female convict. Mary Connor and
Mary Connor and George Gray had several children and one was a daughter
Mary who married John James Dalton.
Mary Connor’s the great great grandmother
to Vic and Heather Dalton as well as Colin Gray and the great great great
grandmother to Gerry Dalton.
2. From Gerry Dalton
Father Victor Dalton passed away 27 January,
2012, Townsville, Queensland
It was back in the 1990s when Tom and I first met Vic
Dalton. We were on our way back from a camping and fishing trip to the
Gulf of Carpentaria and decided to swing down to Mt. Isa and locate Father
Victor Dalton, the author of the book "Who We Are – A Family
History". This book had become my family history reference book
and I was very keen to meet the man who wrote this wonderful book. When
we called at the Catholic presbytery, we were told Father Dalton was no
longer in Mt. Isa and was now in Townsville. Townsville just happened
to be about 1,000 kilometers away and on the road we would be taking to
get back home to Cairns so we decided to spend a couple of days in Townsville
and look up Vic Dalton.
On the off chance of Vic being home, we knocked on the
door of the house next to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, West End and
the housekeeper informed us that Father Dalton was available. We had a
most enjoyable visit with Vic and just before we left that day we took
a photo and Vic asked me to write my name and address in his little address
book. Vic was unable to write by this stage as the dreaded illness, Parkinsons
Disease was taking control of his body.
This meeting was the commencement of years of visits,
communications and sharing of family history information. I looked to
Vic as my mentor and the person who set me on a path of discovery and
these discoveries have really changed my whole perception of the family
unit. I will be for ever grateful to Vic for his generous sharing of his
family history notes and research.
Vic was a marvelous ambassador for family history and
fostered not only kinship but friendship over the various branches of
our huge extended family.
On the last weekend of October 2010, a large family gathering
was held at Crookwell, New South Wales. Tom and I were the publicists
for this amazing family event. It was my honour and privilege to be able
to publically give thanks to Vic Dalton for fostering the kinship over
the various branches of the family. Many of the 200 plus people attending
the reunion had met Vic when he was travelling and researching his family
history. All the family members held Vic in high regards and have the
fondest memories of Vic. This reunion at Crookwell was for the descendants
of the convict Mary Connor and George Gray. One of Mary and George’s
daughters, Mary, married John James Dalton and they are the foundation
of our Dalton branch here in Australia.
Victor Lawrence Dalton was born 21 February, 1939, Ingham,
Queensland.
Know mostly as Vic or Father Vic, he was always called
Victor by his devoted sister Heather. Heather was at Vic’s bedside
at his passing. Heather devoted her time to Vic, spending long hours with
him in the hospital and she was an enormous comfort to him.
Vic’s parents: Joseph Michael Dalton (1911-1973) and Agnes Annie
Hannah (1915-2005)
His grandparents: Joseph Francis Dalton (1875-1929)
and Cecilia Violet nee Pill.
Vic’s grandfather Joseph Francis Dalton and my
great grandfather, George Henry Dalton, are brothers.
After sending several emails to first cousins of Vic,
it was discovered that most of the family members did not know Vic in
his younger years. Other family members were mostly in the remote Queensland
mining town of Mt. Isa and Vic grew up on the coast, over 1,000 kilometers
apart. Australia is such a vast continent that unless you have visited
our shores, the distances can be incomprehensible.
Vic was not only an inspiration to myself but to anyone
who knew him. He shared, most generously, any family history information
he had researched and gathered.
Vic’s memory will live on in the minds and hearts
of the many people whose life he touched. His family history research
work will be continued by the numerous family members he influenced and
encouraged to take up the challenge to connect with the past.
"You don’t know who you are till
you know where you come from" this is a quote from
Vic’s book "Who we Are - A Family History".
Cheerio Vic. Rest in Peace.
Bishop Faulkner and Father Vic Dalton at Mt.
Isa c.1982
N.B. There will be more on this
in the next edition of the DGS Journal.
3. From Michael
Dalton, Chairman of the DGS
I have received the sad news of the death of Madge Dalton.
I have written to her son and to her husband. Further information will
appear in the next DGS Journal.
4. From Maureen Collins, Australian
and New Zealand Secretary
Here’s the obituary for Pat Adams, long-time
member of the DGS in Australia and introduced to me by Jilly Warren before
I became Secretary.
PATRICIA WINIFRED ADAMS – 5/09/1923
– 15/12/2011 by Jilly (Dalton) Warren
Pat Adams was my cousin 4th removed. We shared common
gt. gt. gt. grandparents. Pat’s is the senior line from this ancestor.
My line descends from the second son William Dalton the only other surviving
son and the first Australian born child.
We only became "reconnected" as a family around
1987-88 at the same time the DGS was forming a Branch here in Australia.
Pat, my parents Aub and Hazel Dalton and myself were founding members
of the Australian Branch. I agreed to become the Australian Secretary,
my parents having contacted Michael Dalton whilst they were in London
about that time. Michael and Kate Dalton came here in 1988 for the Bicentennial
Australian Genealogical Conference and Pat and Rai, Mum and Dad, my husband
Ralph and I had fun showing them Sydney and the south coast of NSW. At
that time we also met Australian members of Michael’s family when
I hosted a dinner at my home.
Pat, and her husband Rai became instant extended family
and we had many happy social occasions together including a small family
gathering at Pat and Rai’s home in Lindfield (Sydney) with representatives
of all the known lines of this London based Dalton family.
Sadly Pat was an only child and the Dalton name disappeared
with her marriage. She is survived by two wonderful children, "Pip"
Alan Philip Scott Adams a specialist doctor and Julie Elizabeth Scott
Adams, a university librarian. Pip and wife Helen have 3 girls and Julie
and husband Tim have a boy and a girl. These children in turn have 5 children
perhaps six children, Pat’s great grandchildren, one or two either
newly born or about to be born.
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Rich Dalton Jnr |
Herbert Dalton |
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Rich Dalton Ygr |
Pat Adams |
When the DGS celebrated it’s 25th Anniversary,
Pat Adams was staying with friends in Southampton, England, so I collected
her and we spent an enjoyable few days driving through Wales and then
at the Anniversary in Herefordshire. She was indeed a lovely person and
I shall miss our occasional conversations and greetings cards.
Maureen Collins
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