Arthur John  (Jack) Munce

Growing up as the third child in this lively environment, Jack inherited his father's work ethic and a natural affinity for animals. His first job was on a dairy farm, where he worked so closely with his delivery horse that the animal would nuzzle him awake in the morning and navigate the milk route while Jack dozed in the cart.

"Schoe" and the Birth of an Industry

At age 18, Jack’s life took a scientific turn when he began working for Professor James Alexander Schofield, a former Associate Professor of Chemistry at Sydney University. Working out of a small shed in Woolwich, they were pioneers in Australian manufacturing.

Jack helped "Schoe" (as he called him) develop a method for making clocks glow in the dark—a project that involved early experiments with radium. However, their most vital contribution was medical; they manufactured Pure Ether for anesthesia and Ether Soap for surgeons. In those early days, it was just the two of them—hand-bottling, labeling, and crating supplies that would eventually serve hospitals across Australia.

The Rozelle Years and the "Protected Industry"

When the business amalgamated to become the Woolwich-Elliott Chemical Co. and moved to a large factory in Terry Street, Rozelle, Jack’s role expanded. He worked his way from the laboratory floor to becoming the Works Foreman.

During World War II, Jack’s expertise made him part of a "Protected Industry." To ensure the constant flow of medical supplies, Jack bought his own truck and leased it back to the company. This strategic move secured priority fuel rations, ensuring that his truck—laden with volatile ethers destined for "District Hospitals" as far away as Adelaide—never stopped moving. His commitment was absolute; he was even known to risk his life battling a dangerous chemical fire at the factory to save the business.

A Match on the Court

Jack was a gifted A-grade tennis player and cricketer. He famously built a tennis court on his parents' land single-handedly. It was through this love of sport that he met Doris Reynolds, a fellow A-grade player. Their courtship lasted five years, during which Jack made the significant decision to convert to Catholicism to marry Doris at Villa Maria Church in 1934.

The Home Builder and Inventor

Jack’s "jack of all trades" nature was best seen in the family home at 76 Mary Street, Hunter’s Hill. To afford the home, Jack labored for the builder on weekends to keep costs down. Years later, he extended the house single-handedly, adding a sunroom and modernizing the layout without any professional help.

Inside the home, Jack was a creative soul. He spent hours in his garage workshop with a wood lathe, hand-crafting intricate toys—a toy farm for his daughter, a zoo for his son, and countless Christmas gifts for his nieces. He was a "worry-wort" who paced the floor until his children were home, and a man of great patience who built soaring "card-castles" for the neighborhood kids to marvel at.

Final Years and Legacy

In his later years, Jack found immense joy in being a grandfather to his first grandchild, Maree. He loved playing with her and seeing her enjoy the wooden toys he had crafted with such care.

Jack’s health began to fail in the late 1960s. After a day of swimming with his adult children, he suffered the first of several heart attacks. Arthur (Jack) Munce passed away on 30 June 1969 at Ryde Hospital.

In a touch of fate, his second grandchild was born prematurely on 15 July 1969, just fifteen days after his passing. Though they never met, the legacy of the "Jack of all trades" lived on through the sturdy house he built, the industry he helped found, and the handcrafted wooden toys that remained in the family for decades.