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 PRELUDE
Over the years, and particularly since Dad’s passing, there have
been numerous articles written on his life. I am effectively
intending to document what many of these articles have already
covered. In addition, I will be posting these articles on the site
for others to read. I am not a journalist or author, but rather
represent his story through the eyes of a daughter who,
particularly during his last 3 years, spent a great deal of time
with him as he reflected on his life. Before I get into the bellow,
I would like to add that right up until the morning of his death,
he was still as sharp as a tack. I recall numerous occasions where,
sitting at his bedside, I would be engaged in conversations with
others assuming he was resting. I recall being mid conversation and
Dad piping up to correct a date, someone’s name or a place that I
or others had incorrectly represented. His retention was faultless
right until the end. So, with this in mind, I will attempt to set
the scene that resulted in his incredibly full life as accurately
as possible.
The MAKING OF THE MAN
He was born October 1st 1931 in the rural coastal town of
Ulladulla, New South Wales. Many articles written over the years
recorded his birth date as 1930; and it was Frank himself
responsible for this inaccuracy. In order to secure a licence to
race speedway in 1949, he had assumed his brother Jacks identity
and subsequent year of birth. Thankfully Frank’s speedway career
was short lived due to a clever steer from his uncle, Hope
Bartlett, but more on that later
Prior to 1949, Frank’s early years were tough. As one of 8
children, he had grown up during the Depression. He lost his
youngest brother Val when he was very young, the result of the 2 of
them using a rope to swing over a creek, the rope breaking, and Val
subsequently breaking his neck. This left Frank as the baby of the
family. His Fathers untimely death happened shortly after, the
result of a drunk driver. Again, Frank was present for the
unfortunate event. On the family front, this left him and two
brothers, Ron (later to be called Wayne) and Jack and four sisters,
Sophie (later to be called Sue), Monica, Madge and
Valetta.
Frank’s mother, Florence May Gardner, ruled with an iron fist
and all members of the family were ordered to earn their keep.
Frank was provided with sugar bags and told to head down to the
Ulladulla seaway where he was tasked with catching lobsters and
other seafood for the family meals. The living arrangements
consisted of a tent and 1 double bed for all 7 children where they
slept top to tail. The trip to and from school was carried out on
horseback with the 4 youngest riding the one “mangy beast” as Dad
called it. As times got increasingly hard, Frank’s mother made the
decision to place him, the youngest child, who would have the
greatest chance of adoption, into care. Already determined to carve
a better life for himself, Frank escaped the orphanage and ran
away. In doing so, he sought out the one family member who he
believed could offer him a better shot at life. His uncle, Hope Bartlett, ran a bus fleet
operating out of Nowra. Hope had been a wealthy pastoralist in his
day and was a local force to be reckoned with. When I was a young
girl (early 1980’s), I used to attend the nursing home where Hope
stayed until his passing at age 92. Right up until his death, Hope
would sit up in bed reading the white pages and informing Dad of
who was dead or alive. I found him terrifying but Dad obviously
adored him right until the end as regular visits to his nursing
home in Mona Vale, NSW, were commonplace. My mother also recalls
Hope as a tough character who, when she started dating Dad, ordered
her to remain in the vehicle while Dad visited him at his home.
Thankfully the relationship improved over the years as Mum became
the vital link who would keep Hope informed of Dad’s
achievements.
So, back to the story. Hope Falkner Bartlett, born 1892, was a
success in his own right. Making his first mark as a factory rider
on the then famous Zenith motorcycles in 1910, Hope made his mark
on racing circuits and speedway with such cars as Bugattis and
Sunbeams. His last appearance on a racing circuit was at Bathurst
in 1951 where he claimed victory. While the appearance of the young
Frank was initially of no appeal to then accomplished Hope, he did
recognise that a young, fit and very eager young boy would likely
be of use when it came to washing the buses and other odd jobs. He
allowed Frank to stay with him on the proviso that he earned his
keep. While washing the buses gave him a roof over his head, Frank
wanted more and from age 14 began a career in the boxing ring with
the end goal of one day affording a motor cycle. While boxing
provided an income, his other passions included surf life saving
and golf. Both pursuits he was equally talented in but neither
would support his end goal of a foray into Motor Racing.
Academically, Frank was also incredibly gifted and in a bid to
support his desired motor sport career, he completed a diploma in
Engineering and Metallurgy and was awarded Young Apprentice of the
Year in NSW in 1948. Both Frank’s boxing and golf careers were to
be short lived (although golf remained a passion throughout his
life) with Hopes steer that he should focus on less “brain
scrambling” pursuits and more profitable endeavours (of which Golf
was not – at the time). In later years, Dad would often remark on
the million dollar cheques handed out to the respective pro golfers
and wonder what may have been. Thankfully, he never lamented too
much on the past saying “the only thing you get when you look over
your shoulder is a stiff neck”.
With Hopes guiding hand, and Frank’s in-built sense of “self
preservation”, he abandoned the boxing ring for a career on
speedway at the ripe age of 17 (although his licence read 18).
It is at this point that I am going to stop as I am hopeful that
the webpage tells the rest of the story. The purpose of this
precursor was to set the scene around the humble beginnings from
which Frank came and which embedded in him a drive and
determination to become the man he was. Throughout this website, I
have attempted to chronicle Dad’s career, feature the cars he
raced, the various circuits, article’s of the time and where
possible, a few “quotable quote’s”. How do you capture a person’s
life in one webpage and attempt to do it justice? The answer is
with great difficulty. My guiding focus however has been to ensure
that I have presented it in such a way that Dad would have
supported. He did not believe in personal biographies, even at the
end, and was selective with the media personalities he gave time
too. I recall his mortification when my mother advised him that she
had put him forward for the Order of Australia medal and he had
been selected. He refused to attend the ceremony although I do
believe, as time went on, that he was quite chuffed to be
recognised for his contribution to Driver Education and Road
Safety
Finally, I am concluding this “Making of the Man” section with the
bellow 2 photos. The first is from my Wedding day in 2003 and then
the 2nd was taken in 2008 at a dinner where CAMS recognised Dad's
contribution to Motor Sport.
Both were great events for Dad (although the 1st cost him a little
more than the 2nd). Enjoy the site!
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