Neville Brockett
Background
Neville was born in New Zealand in 1921 and served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force in Canada during World War II. After the war, he married Brisbane-born Dinah and settled back in Auckland where he ran a dry-cleaning business. They lived there throughout their working lives and into retirement.
Buderim - life and community
In 1995, while visiting Brisbane relatives, Neville and Dinah decided to move to Buderim. The natural beauty of the area attracted them and they completed the move shortly afterwards.
Joining the Rotary Club of Buderim was a priority for Neville as he had been a committed Rotarian for many years, motivated by Rotary’s mission to help people, both nationally and internationally. He knew his Rotary backwards in terms of procedural matters and was happy to patiently explain things to those who were less clear. He was a popular member and noted for being good at ‘unmuddling’ things with humour. He maintained a 100% attendance record – no mean feat for a couple who enjoyed overseas travel, including to non-English speaking countries where he sought out meetings that were mostly incomprehensible to him. He was active and involved until the day he died, a commitment greatly respected by his fellow Buderim Rotarians who convened a meeting at his bedside that day so that his attendance record remained intact until death.
As a keen Probus member, he helped establish clubs in New Zealand and maintained his involvement in Buderim, including a term as President of the Probus Club of Buderim.
He was also an enthusiastic snooker player and greatly enjoyed his membership of the Buderim Billiards and Snooker Club where members still play for trophies named in his honour.
As an avid rugby union follower, he loved his All Blacks. He also loved his adopted country and, with a strong sense of the importance of voting, became an Australian citizen as soon as he could after taking up residency.
Neville died in 2003. His ashes were buried beneath a newly-planted memorial tree by the headwaters of Martins Creek, not far from the Buderim home he shared with Dinah.
Donor: Dinah Brockett
