Graetz Max

**Fast Facts**
Type of person	Individual
Date of birth	1926
Place of birth	Gawler

I was born in Dr Dawes hospital on 27 Dec 1926, the only child of Alma (nee Mattschos)- born 1 Dec 1905 and father Harry, born 2 Aug 1897.

We lived at Kangaroo Flat for 3 years until father sold the farm to become a road-maker; working in the Clare , Black Springs, Strathalbyn, and Tungkillo areas. I started school in Tungkillo and came to Gawler in the May school holidays of 1937, where I continued my schooling at the Lutheran School next to Zion Church. My one year of High School education commenced in 1940.

On leaving High school, I started work for Opies Bakery (119 – 125 Murray Street area), working 7 days a week [over 50 hours] and earned 15 shillings [$1.50]; from which came 5 shillings [50c] for board, and 5 shillings to pay off the bike that father bought me. On Saturday afternoons I went to the Pictures which cost me 6 pence [5c] and my ice-block [from Diekmann’s Deli nextb to Eudunda Farmers] cost 1 penny [1c].

I then worked as a cow-boy on Law-Smith’s farm [Yaringa, east of Gawler] where I milked 4 cows night and morning, as well as tending sheep and cattle and doing cropping. Leaving there I went to Parafield to mend air-planes before I spent 3 ½ years doing a milk-round in Gawler and Willaston which I bought off Ron Washington. He bought it back from me.

I worked for Gawler Council for 2 years doing general duties – roads and culverts; including the placement of the concrete footpath on Murray Street western side. I then had a paper-round for about 6 ½ years which took in the area east of the South Para River, after which I worked at Weapons Research Establishment [W.R.E.] for 2 years, followed by being an on road representative for Morton Industries; specialising in chain-saws. I spent 3 years for .Matters Real Estate.

My final employment was with Ames Hardware, unloading Angaston cement which was still “hot”, and using welding gloves up to my elbow. Wearing a leather apron, we unloaded by hand in a small shed which was like an oven in the hot days. Deliveries were made in the mornings and I worked 5 ½ days a week.

As a cricketer,I played for Sandy Creek from 1946 to approximately 1956, when I played for Gawler Centrals. I was proud to score a hundred for each team. I also played football from 1946 to 1954 to enjoy 3 premierships; Willaston 1948, Roseworthy 1949, and Centrals 1953.

I first met Tess at the Gawler Lutheran Primary School but it wasn’t until the early 1950’s when we met again and the friendship blossomed. We married in 1953 at the Lutheran Church in Flinders Street Adelaide and set up home on Lyndoch Road. We subsequently built our 13 East Terrace home and moved in 1956.

Tessa had one daughter Christine from her previous marriage and Tessa and I had Judith in 1954 and Geoffrey in 1957. We met when she worked at Parafield and, after our marriage, she drove a school bus for 5 years to earn money to give our children a good education. Nursing was everything to Tessa and she started in the 1970’s at Gawler’s Hutchinson Hospital and she progressed to be a very good theatre nurse; earning the praise of Dr Geoff Hyde. She retired from nursing in her late 60’s. Tessa passed away. 1st August,2011 and we were married 58 years.

I was a member of Gawler Apex in the early 1960’s and enjoyed 6 years with 100% attendance each year, despite having the paper round to contend with. I enjoyed the Apex working bees, which included wood delivery to pensioners and collecting the Christmas Trees in Colin Smith’s truck; the trees were sold to raise money for the Club to spend on Gawler service projects. We met in the Kingsford Hotel and the first room on the left was used for our general meetings. Those were the days when at least half of the chaps smoked and the room got very hazy. I let them know that too, quite regularly. My Christian Faith has been very important to me [and Tessa] and I have been a member of Gawler’s Zion Lutheran Church for over 70 years.