Athol Rose has Passed Away

WELL known Sconeite Athol Rose passed away last night from heart failure, in a nursing home at Shell Harbour aged 93 years.

He had only relocated to the nursing home four weeks ago because he wanted to spend as much time as possible at home in Scone.

Athol was the last of his five siblings, four brothers and one sister, to pass away.

He was the much loved guardian and father figure to Lynette Harrison and Robert Garland and uncle to Wayne Garland and Pop to Dylan, Rory, Ava and Zoe and brother-in-law to Audrey Rose aged 96.

While Athol did not have children of his own, he did something far more special; at the age of 55, as a bachelor, he became the guardian of his niece and nephew who had been orphaned when their mother died.

Lynette Harrison, his niece said she recently turned 55 and she felt the gravity off his big heart as an adult.

“When my mother was on her death be in 1978 he promised her he would raise her children,” said Ms Harrison.

“He was a single man aged 55 when he took on a 17 year old girl and a nine and a half year old boy, he looked after us and so he is survived by his nephews Wayne Garland and Robert Garland and me,” she said.

“I’m that age now and it is incredible to think he stepped up; he looked after us, but we enriched his life as well because he wouldn’t have been a father or a grandfather otherwise,” Lynnette Harrison said.

Robert Garland said he reached a good age and was sharp as a tack.

“He had a very good innings and he went downhill quickly in the last month,” Mr Garland said.

“The Rose family has historical significance, his original forebear was the first free settlers to come to Australia, Thomas and Jane Rose and Jane Rose was Australia’s first grandmother and their house is the oldest timber house in Australia that is still in its original spot in Wilberforce and Athol’s dad was born in the oldest house in Australia,” he said.

“He was always very proud of that aspect of the family and the war was the thing that shaped his life significantly and often conversation would turn back to the war.

“He has outlived his family and he’s outlived most of his contemporaries it would be nice to think there would be a fair turn out for his funeral though,” Robert Garland said.

He worked at the Scone Post Office from the age of 15 until he was called up for service in WWII when he was 18.

Athol was part of the first field ambulance and was sent to Papua New Guinea.

Athol one of the last remaining Scone World War II veterans and scone.com.au was glad to have the opportunity to interview him on video last year when he decided to share a well-kept secret from the war.

He and his mates were serving in near a gold mine.

Before they returned home from service they decided to visit the mine and do some fossicking.

They each got enough gold for a ring which they all took to their grave.

Athol decided to share their secret on video before he passed and reckoned the authorities would probably let it pass by now.

Athol contributed significantly to a range of Scone community groups including Scone Golf Club, Bushman’s Carnival, RSL Club, Scone Race Club and neighbourhood watch.

Athol’s funeral is tentatively booked for Tuesday, the Uniting Church at 11am.

Watch Athol read the League’s Ode at ANZAC Day: