Michael ‘John’ Bowler: February 22, 1947 – April 4, 2024
IT’S OK to laugh at a funeral, we know that.
But the family of the late Michael ‘John’ Bowler made it compulsory last Friday, April 19 when a packed St Laurence O'Toole's Catholic Church in Leongatha erupted into fits of laughter on dozens of occasions as oldest son Matt delivered a full and frank account of his father’s life, spent almost exclusively in the local district.
Aside from one notable trip to China and Upper Mongolia, to develop the region’s burgeoning trade in dairy heifers for stock agents Landmark, and time away at boarding school at St Pat’s Sale, John was the quintessential Leongatha local.
Born here on February 22, 1947, he lived and worked on his family’s dairy farm at Ruby, also attending St Lawrence's Primary School, just over the road from the church, where it was reassuring to hear the chatter and laughter of children during afternoon recess as the service continued inside.
The church was full to overflowing, which was hardly surprising. There was a liberal sprinkling of friends from the town and district, along with work colleagues from the G&N, Landmark and Nutrien Ag days however, being of good, Irish stock, John was likely related to at least half of the rest, coming from a family of five kids himself, with seven of his own and sharing the farm with his brother Pat’s family of 10.
There are now 10 grandchildren as well.
In a rollicking account of his father’s life, Matt Bowler said John loved the Leongatha district and was always keen to know how people he met locally fitted into the mental map he had in his mind of local families and relationships.
“In that sense, we’ve lost a vital part of the local bush telegraph with John’s passing,” said Matt.
In turn, he said that John was lucky to have the people of Leongatha and he thanked the owners of local cafes and businesses “for keeping dad going”.
The years of experience as a dairy farmer and raising beef cattle locally was put to good use when John joined Gippsland & Northern which he approached as if he was joining a sporting team – hard work on the cattle, and a party at the end.
He became a dairy specialist with the firm, heading up its dairy heifers to China trade and ultimately visiting the region as part of the job. A picture of John and a colleague standing beside the Great Wall of China flashed up on the screen during a slide show, to the strains of Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide, otherwise dominated by snaps of happy family gatherings.
Keen on music, he attended many concerts over the years, but his argument stopper was always “I saw the Beatles with my sister Kath in 1964”.
John was also very community minded, being involved in several local sporting clubs, including the Leongatha Football Netball Club, and serving with the Ruby CFA, including on strike teams away fighting the fires of Ash Wednesday.
Matt recalled a comment by his father about a bunch of Ruby dairy farmers being sent down a one-way track in the Dandenongs at the height of the fires, and being lucky to get out alive.
He also joined other dairy farmers protesting about conditions in the industry at several low points for the sector.
His father, he said, was a noted sweet tooth, not only dobbing whipped cream on his cooked breakfast but also enjoying four or five sugars in his tea. And was never dissuaded from smoking, despite family members threading horsehairs into his cigarettes and trying other strategies.
Stories of mushroom picking, crashing his car on the way to see Richmond win one of its premierships in the 1970s, and finally having some success on the horses, not with his so-called “System”, but with a generous group of work colleagues in the part ownership of Derby chance ‘Light Up Manhattan’, were included in a colourful account of the life of one of Leongatha’s best loved characters.
The fifth child of Patrick Bowler (arrived from Ireland in 1918) and Rose O’Reilly, including siblings Pat Bowler, Mary Patterson, Rose Kuball and Kathleen Clark; John married Yvonne McRae in 1974 and had seven children Matthew, Shaun (dec), Paul, Joanne, Louise, Elizabeth and Timothy.
Tribute was also paid to John’s partner in latter years, Judy Hargreaves and son Matt, for caring for John during his recent illness.
John Bowler passed away on Thursday, April 4, aged 77.
