Moran Kellyville resident, Alfred Goad is turning 100 and to mark this momentous occasion the team at Moran are exploring his life story, a life spent following his love of the sea.
Alfred Goad (Alf) was born in Brighton, Sussex, England in July 1923. He joined the Royal Navy in his late teens to follow his love of the sea. Alf was sent to Australia during WWII as part of what was commonly referred to as the MONAB (Mobile Naval Air Base) strategy.
MONAB was a joint initiative of the British and Australian governments. It led to the establishment of several units of British sailors being deployed to the Royal Australian Airforce base at Schofields. Alf was a member of the Fleet Air arm, responsible for maintaining aircraft to support the new British Pacific fleet. Though he never qualified as a pilot, he was a group leader. He clearly remembers Grumen Avengers, supplied by the US, arriving like IKEA furniture in crates requiring assembly.
Alf’s love affair with Australia had begun! His opportunity came with the “Ten Pound Pom” initiative which encouraged migration to Australia after the war. Along with his wife Renee and daughter Carol, Alf travelled on the Georgic, a converted Blue Star line cruise ship arriving in Sydney in 1950.
A family in Granville sponsored Alf and his family and they spent their first months living there whilst Alf worked at the aluminium works at Clyde. He spent the weekends building a garage/apartment, then a house on land in Ermington. At that time the area was a nursery and market garden. As a qualified plumber, Alf was in demand and soon set up his own successful business.
Alf rediscovered the lure of the water when he bought a small half-cabin runabout boat. What he really wanted was the thrill of sailing! He went on to buy his first yacht, a 30-foot craft with a 44-foot high mast. ‘Wings’ was beautiful to look at with its sleek narrow hull, perfect for ocean racing. He competed in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race six times, Sydney to Montague Island many times, sailed around the Whitsundays, to Fiji and back and raced regularly on Pittwater and Sydney Harbour.
Alf later became interested in radio-controlled yachts, which he sailed competitively on Lake Macquarie and Terrigal Lagoon, winning many trophies.
Moran Kellyville is now home and not far from where Alf first made his acquaintance with Australia. He has many years of fabulous adventures on the water locked firmly in his memories. Some of his favourite photos adorn his room at Moran Kellyville and tell the story of a long and interesting life. Alf is looking forward to celebrating his 100th birthday with family and friends at Moran Kellyville. We thank Alf and his family for allowing us to share his story.
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