AUG2013_Leslie James ENCHELMAIER

(23 June 1930 – 25 June 2013) 

Leslie James Enchelmaier was born in Brisbane on 23 June 1930 – the youngest of Carl and Caroline Enchelmaier’s 12 children.  The family owned a dairy farm at the back of where the Dayboro pub is now.

Times were difficult and the children needed to help out and Les would deliver milk throughout the town before he headed off to Dayboro primary school.  Les finished school after year 7.  As a young man, Les would ride his pushbike from Dayboro, up the mountain and down Campbell’s Pocket Road to Wamuran to help on his eldest sister Clara’s farm.

In his late teens, Les went to country New South Wales where he worked on the construction of water reservoirs alongside his brothers Ernie and Lenny and his nephew Lester.  In his early 20’s, Les came back to Dayboro and began growing pineapples with his brother Allan.

Around this time, Leslie took a liking to the young Betty Aitcheson who lived a couple of doors away.  While courting, they used to go to the Dayboro pictures every Saturday night – that was after Les had had a beer at the local Dayboro pub and had bought his sweetheart Betty a Cadbury’s chocolate.  Before long, wedding bells rang.  Leslie and Betty married at the Dayboro Presbyterian Church on 10 July 1954.

Not long after, fatherhood was a major role in his life with the birth of Desleigh, followed closely by Darrol then Leeanne, Trevor and Ronnie.  Days became very busy and long for Les as he was juggling family life with managing his 100 acre pineapple farm at Kobble Creek.  We all have memories of him often working weekends and the long journeys he would take to the Rocklea Markets.

As the children grew up they would also help on the family farm on weekends in picking season.  Trevor enjoyed working alongside his father for a few years after leaving school.  One of the highlights of being a pineapple farmer was the annual Fruit Growers Picnic that was held under the ‘Skinny Bridge’ (as all the locals knew it) where everyone shared many cold beers and buckets of Les’ favourite – prawns.

Les was highly respected in the Dayboro community and the Enchelmaiers are one of the pioneering families of Dayboro.  Les played an active role and was on the committees for the ambulance, hall and was a member of the Buffalo Lodge.

One of the fondest memories his children hold is of the crabbing trips they would go on to Deep Water Bend with Les, Lenny, Alan, Stoody and Gary.  They would all sleep in the back of the Bedford truck whilst waiting to ‘pull the pots’.  Then it was home where Les would let all of the crabs loose in the boat and it wasn’t uncommon for the kids to be chasing a crab around the yard whilst the copper was boiling.

Pop’s love of boating and water led him to buy a speed boat with his nephew, Gary which they named the ‘Garalee’.  The whole family enjoyed skiing on Lake Kurwongbah and at Toorbul.  One of the most memorable times in the boat was a trip from Toorbul to Caloundra when they got stuck on a sandbank and they all had to get out and push.

Other than being surrounded by his ever increasing family, there was nothing that Les loved better than coming home at the end of the day and having a cold beer on the patio or enjoying a drink with his best mate Ronnie McKenzie and his nephew Gary which would inevitably lead to a rousing sing along of favourites like ‘Blackboard of my Heart’ and ‘The Goose Went Hunting on a Windy Night’.

Leslie continued to work the family pineapple farm at Kobble Creek until he retired at the age of 62.  After retirement, Les and Betty made a couple of trips to visit Trevor and his family in Canada and also travelled to New Zealand and various parts of Australia.  Retirement also gave him time to help his children and grandchildren and he often spent time with his son Ronnie on building jobs.  Another interest Les had was maintaining the beautiful flower and vegetable gardens he and Betty created at their home in Cruice Street Dayboro.  Through a love of a cold beer, Les started making his home brew beer (which of course kept Ronnie supplied as well).  Les and Betty have always loved country music and retirement also gave them more time to enjoy this and they joined clubs throughout the Moreton District to share this passion.

After 56 years, Betty and Les decided to move to Narangba where Les enjoyed living for the last three years of his life.

Leslie is survived by his wife Betty, five children, eleven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Les, Dad, Pop – you will be forever in our hearts.