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Dad's parents were - George Edward Hewitt born in Australia, he was a butcher by trade but did farming in Finch Hatton ( his father was born in Northern Ireland & was a doctor) & his mother, Hannah Nicoline Tidemann was born in Denmark, they had 11 children.

Eldest brother - Reginald Fulton, 2nd brother - George Edward, 3rd brother - Harold Edward, 4th brother - John Harvey Hewitt.

Eldest sister - Irene Sarah, 2nd sister - Fransellar Lillian (Sally), 3rd sister- Edna May, 4th sister - Fira Isabell (Belle), 5th sister - Doris Muriel, then 5th brother - Dad, Norman Hewitt & then the youngest 6th sister - Laurel Joy Hewitt born on 2/10/1927.

Dad was born in Mackay on 4th December, 1923 at the Ormond Hospital & moved to Finch Hatton when he was 4 years old & is the last surviving member of his family. 

Dad's name was chosen because, his mother's cousin had her baby before Dad was born, he was going to have 'Darryl' as his second name but she called him 'Darryl' first, so Dad only has one name. So my Mum (Irene Watters) & Dad called my brother 'Darryl Norman'. I was named 'Andrea' after the actress 'Andrea Leeds' (Mum's choice, as she liked the name). We are both adopted.

Dad's family owned a cane farm in Finch Hatton. Coming into Finch Hatton it's the last farm before you reach Finch Hatton on the right hand side before the school. The people that bought it off Dad ( my grandfather) their prodginy had to farm & they were conservationists, they just let it go & it's overgrown with ginny grass now. It was at the top of the hill & you went down the hill & along & there was a blue water gully. 

Dad's cousin, Harvey Hewitt used to own a farm near the Glenella roundabout, not far from Hewitt Way.

Dad started school in 1929, stayed there till 1934, then came to live in Mackay, his Dad had a cane farm & a town house in North Mackay, it used to take 2 hours to get here, he owned a 1927 Whippet with wooden spoke wheels. The family would go to Slade Point to have a holiday.

He spent grade 5, when he came back from Finch Hatton at North Mackay State School, then went to intermediate, which is known as Central School now, where he spent grade 6 & 7, got a scholarship, which allowed him to go to high school, he did 2 years & passed there, then had to go to work because of the depression years. He started work at 15 shillings ($1.50) per week, working 5 x 8hr days & a 4 hr day Saturday morning. 

His Dad owned a ½ block of land in Malcomson St between School St, Malcomson St & Harvey St. He died at the outbreak of WW2 (Sept 3rd 1939), Dad was 15. His Mum gave him the other 1/2 block of land as a wedding present ( valued at 50 pounds ($100) he & Mum, Irene Watters married in 1950. (she died when I was 25 ).

Dad has war medals The Pacific Star, for serving in the South Pacific, The 1939/45 Star for serving in the term of the war, The War Medal, The Defence Medal & The Service Medal. He served in New Guinea & Borneo, Milne Bay, Nadzab, Lae, Goodenough Island, Ballikpapen with the RAAF. His Squadron 75 & 76 Kittyhawks was a conglomeration of beaufighters, bombers, yanks (Dad's word) had flying fortresses, liberator bombers. Dad serviced them, fuelled them, fixed them, working on the fuselages, he was called a fitter 2A. Engine guys were called fitter 2E's. The guys that loaded them with bullets were called armourers.

The song they sang before they went out each day was -

Beside a Papeon waterfall, one bright September day, beside his shattered Kitty hawk, the young PO he lay, and as he lay below the coconut tree, not yet completely dead, I listened to the very last words, the young PO he said " I'm going to a better land, where everything is bright, where whiskey grows on coconut trees & the beetles play all night, there's nothing else to do all day, but sit around & sing, the old barcoo & the women too, oh death where is thy sting". 

A war story - While driving back from lunch one day at the 33 squadron, driving up a hill, Mick ( from West Wyalong) asked Dad if he knew how to drive, Dad said no I don't have a license, Mick said, now's a good time to learn, & jumped out of the truck. That's how he got his license !!

Never did a driver's test, just told them he could drive.

When Dad returned from the war he worked at Marsh & Websters in 1946 and worked there till 1964 when he opened Kerrisk's Toy Shop (Wood St next to Roy Andrews' Treasure Store) as manager, then moved to Victoria St opposite Field's (where Centrepoint was) & then to where Struthers Funiture Store is now, & it was opened as a toy & gift shop . After Kerrisk's closed he worked at Field's for 18 months until my Mum died on 30th October 1986.

Dad's sporting achievements were playing cricket at school first, then the first real time he played in a team was with Marsh & Websters where he worked the year Harrup Park opened in 1946. His team won the premiership from Bakers Creek at 22 years, the first year after WW2. Then he developed into a fast bowler, & he was picked for their turf team to play at Queens Park on grass wickets. He then represented Mackay to play against Cairns, Ayr, Townsville, Rockhampton & Bundaberg.

He was the President of Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club, he was a foundation member & still has the trophies & plaque to prove it !! He retired from cricket at 35 years of age when his son was born.

Now he just watches all sport on TV !!!

(Courtesy from Hewitt Family via Mackay Regional Council)

The street was named after Harry Lawrence Knight, shortly after he died.

He lived from 1926-1979.

He was a senior Electrical Engineer for the Mackay Electricity Board working on major expansion projects in the 1960's and 1970's. He was also a keen yachtsman, regularly sailing around the Whitsunday Islands, and helping repair electrical generators on the islands along the way.

(per Yolande Knight, 04/10/2017)

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