Enduring legacy

By Paul Pickering
A FOG of sadness descended upon the foothills last week as the Ferntree Gully community mourned the passing of a local icon.
Wally Tew died last Tuesday, 17 July at the age of 92.
The sombre mood soon turned to celebration, though, as prominent local identities reflected on the enduring legacy that Mr Tew leaves behind.
Such is the influence he had on the town, his life story is difficult to distinguish from the history of The Gully itself.
He was born in Lang Lang in 1915 and he and his family moved to Ferntree Gully in 1922 when his father, Ern, bought Lording Store on the corner of Forest Road and Burwood Highway.
He attended Ferntree Gully Primary School.
Mr Tew inherited his father’s passion for sport and in 1933 he was a key figure in the resurrection of the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club (FTGCC) – which had gone into recess six years earlier.
Mr Tew still holds a host of records at the club, including the games record of 219 First XI matches and a staggering five competitive hat-tricks.
His influence on the sporting landscape was not restricted to cricket, however, as he represented the town in both football and tennis with distinction.
Having returned from World War II, where he served in the United Kingdom as a Bomber Command pilot, Mr Tew helped establish the Ferntree Gully District Cricket Association (FTGDCA) in 1947.
In the early 1950s, he was president of the football club, cricket club and cricket association simultaneously.
In 1966, he decided to lend his administrative talents to local government where he went on to serve as a councillor for 23 years – including four terms as mayor.
Mr Tew was the last shire president of the Shire of Knox and became the first mayor of the newly proclaimed City of Knox in 1969. He told the Mail last year that his role in the procurement of the Knox Historical Society building Ambleside Homestead and the inception of the Knox War Memorial were among his proudest achievements.
He also persuaded friends Jack and Ethel Boyle to give the City of Knox the property that is now the Amaroo Gardens residential aged care facility.
He lived at the facility for seven years before dying away there last Tuesday.
Frank Johnson, who was Mr Tew’s Ferntree Gully Ward colleague during the establishment of Amaroo Gardens, said last week: “Wally had a deservedly long life because his contribution to the community earned him that reward.”
For current Dobson Ward councillor Karin Orpen, he was “one of nature’s gentlemen”.
“He was Ferntree Gully through and through – he lived and breathed Ferntree Gully,” Cr Orpen said.
FTGCC historian Steve Fleming, who recently compiled a comprehensive history of the club for its centenary year, said that Mr Tew’s involvement with the local community was beyond contemplation.
“You just don’t see people of his ilk in the modern era and we probably won’t see them again,” he said.
But amid the flood of tributes, few would deny Mr Tew’s dear friend of 80 years, Bob De Coite, the final word.
“Wally was a man of the people and a natural leader,” Mr De Coite said.
“If he was talking to the Queen he wouldn’t feel embarrassed, he’d just treat her like anybody else.
“I’ve always said there will only ever be one Don Bradman, there will only ever be one Phar Lap and there will only ever be one Wally Tew.”