Lloyd

Lloyd `Torchie' Henry Hein, b. 1904, Mt Gambier, m. 1932 Herschel Eileen Feudoloff (b. 1914, Adelaide, d. 2000, Mt Gambier), Baptist Manse, Mt Gambier, d. 1976, Mt Gambier, 8 children.

Lloyd's father Lou lived with them in his elderly years at their residence on Penola Road and died there in 1956. In retirement they lived at Carpenter Rocks.

From Stuart Hill's 2017 book "Beyond Borders" on the life of Kevin Hein

Lloyd was the second son of Julius `Lou' Hein and Annie Jeffree. Lloyd was born on Monday, 22 August 1904. Lloyd attended Glenburnie Primary School and then lived in Adelaide where he finished an apprenticeship in French Polishing. He returned to Mount Gambier to work in the forests and later created his own timber cartage business.

Lloyd participated in many sports including cycling, athletics and football (he played for Portland). Lloyd's greatest sporting achievements however, were in the boxing ring. His boxing name was `Torchie' and he won the Tatiara Welter Weight Boxing Championship in 1927. When his own boxing career was finished he refereed many local tournaments. Torchie taught his children that in boxing "you have to know how to take a hiding" - and, needless to say, "without giving up".

Torchie was a member of the Mount Gambier Hunt Club from a young age where he was renowned as a "great horseman". Club records state that Torchie "graced the Hunt field between the wars". Torchie gained local fame in the south-east by becoming a star rider in a travelling "buckjump" show. He plied his trade on the rodeo circuit around SA and Victoria with `Mulga Fred'. The "buckjump" circuit was a popular form of entertainment and the Aboriginal buckjumper was one of one of its most famous celebrities. Originally a member of `Broncho' George's rodeo troup, `Mulga Fred' was a master horseman and whipcracker. He became good friends with `Torchie' and later in life `Mulga Fred' would often "drop in and stay" with Torchie's family on Penola Road, Mt Gambier. On one such visit Mulga Fred presented a hand crafted three-piece boomerang set to Torchie's male children.

Children

James Owen Hein, b. 1933, d. 1951 (18).

Merna Fay Hein, b. 1934, m. 1951 (Gilbert) Ross WHITEHEAD (1927 - 2019), 3 children.

Merna was a 2010 reunion organiser and MC for the lectures.

Donald "Don"Lloyd Hein AM, b. 1935, m. 1958 Alicia Antoinette (Toni) GAMBLE

Don is an archaeologist, contributor to this site and was chief organiser of 2010 Hein family reunion in Mount Gambier.

Don is pictured below at the start of his career.

I note that Don Hein's AM citation read `For significant service to archaeological research, and to the people of Thailand through social welfare initiatives'. His wife Toni was also awarded an AM with him in the same list, acknowledging charity work she undertook in Thailand.

Mervyn Hein, b. 1937.

Mervyn became father of internationally acclaimed author Cathryn Hein .

Helen Ann Hein, b. 1939.

June Hein, b. 1946.

Dianne Hein, b. 1949, m. Doug MURCH, 4 children, lives in Bordertown.

Laurie James Hein, b. 1954, m. Dianne Margaret WHITEHEAD.

The youngest son is Laurie, who still in 2020 runs a business in Mount Gambier.

On 18 August the South Australian Government announced tougher rules on its border with Victoria. Previously with the second wave of COVID-19 in Victoria, local people who had to cross the border could get exemptions for most of their normal activities like crossing for school or work. This was to cease on 21 August.

The Advertiser, on its web site , had its main story featuring trouble caused to locals. Laurie was quoted in the following excerpt.

Laurie Hein, managing director of Green Triangle Forest Industry Products, said the border crackdown could cost jobs, despite stringent safety measures to prevent virus transmission.

He said staff were working to prepare for the upcoming fire danger season, including clearing tracks, grading and slashing works, and that would be held up unless exemptions were granted.

“Some of our transport goes into areas where there are known COVID cases and we haven’t had one case of person-to-person transmission of COVID as a result of our activities,” Mr Hein said.

“I say to people in Adelaide, ‘Imagine if there was a wall down King William Street and all of a sudden you couldn’t get from east to west and west to east’ – that’s what it’s like for us on the border here.

“We cross it every day. The border is just a line on the map for us.”

Don Hein pictured at the age of 21.