JOHNSON, Benjamin Arthur (1924-2024)
Modified on Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:24 by Caroline Stok — Categorized as: Biography - All, Biography - Students, Geelong College
JOHNSON, Benjamin Arthur (1924-2024)
Ben boarded at the College from 1938 to 1942, starting in Form MVB and completing Form VI. He was a member of Calvert House and became the Vice-Captain of the House in 1942. That same year he was appointed School Prefect. While a member of the cricket and football teams over his time at the College, Ben reached the 1st XI cricket and 1st XVIII football teams in 1942, and served as the Vice-Captain of the cricket team. He received multiple colours and caps for both cricket and football. He was also involved in the sports committee for swimming, athletics and football, and served on the House of Guilds Council. He reached the rank of Platoon Sargeant in the cadets.
Ben was contacted in 2020 to write about his memories of school:
When I started at the College I was a boarder at Warrinn House in Dorm 6&7. Maggie was the housekeeper in charge of cleaning, laundry and repair if any of the boys clothes needed mending. Maggie was liked and loved by all.
One of the masters parked his car at the end of the drive each day. Some boys hated this and they pushed a potato into the exhaust pipe. When the car started nothing happened for a short time. Then there was a loud bang and the potato shot out. The boys shot off too.
Another big bang occurred one time in the old chem lab. The wrong chemicals were mixed with a loud bang.
I was in charge of line marking on the oval for the Athletics. I filled the marking machine with white mixture and pumped the pressure up to maximum. One of the boys was poking about and he screwed the lid off the tank. White mixture spurted out everywhere including him.
As a sergeant in the cadet corps I was marching the platoon across the oval. Unfortunately, I gave the order ‘left wheel’ instead of ’right wheel.’ The platoon finished up mixed with the cadet CO and Junior officers. After sorting things out we marched off. I gave the right wheel order. Very embarrassing.
After breakfast some of the boys would go out to the oval and walk up and down the wicket with Snowy the groundsman using the big roller. A nice way to exercise.
Following school, Ben enlisted into the army and served for four years in radar operations including time in Rabual, New Britain, PNG. Following this he studied a Bachelor of Commerce and worked in the family bakery for 30 years. He had a garden supply business for 20 years before retiring.
Ben passed away 5 August 2024, aged 100 years. He was the much-loved husband of Josie (dec) and Merl, father and father in law of four, grandfather of eight and great grandfather of seven.
Sources: The Age 9 August 2024, Pegasus, OGC 1938.