Malcolm Kevin Platt (Senior)
12/10/1936 to 14/7/2002Malcolm Kevin Platt was born 12th October,1936 in Handsworth, Staffordshire on the outskirts of Birmingham. He was the only child of Ernest Grigg & Iris Platt. For reasons unknown to our family, Ernest & Iris separated shortly after their marriage & Malcolm was then raised by his grand-parents Walter & Florence Platt (Iris’s parents). Malcolm grew up believing Walter & Florence were his parents & Iris was his sister. It was only when he turned 18 & enlisted to join the Royal Air Force that he became aware of his true parentage. Having to produce his birth certificate for enlistment, Malcolm was told of his parents & his relationship within the family. Malcolm always insisted that this revelation never changed his views, always considering Walter & Florence as his true father & mother.
Malcolm joined the RAF in 1954 after having gained some experience with ‘Outward Bound’, an organization similar to Scouts or Army Reserves. By 1956, Malcolm had joined the RAF Military Police & travelled the world as part of the military security forces attached to the atom-bomb & hydrogen-bomb nuclear tests. He travelled to Australia for the tests at Maralinga & Woomera as well as to Christmas Island for the hydrogen bomb tests.
After his service with the nuclear testing, Malcolm returned to England. Here he met Joan Dawson, his future wife, &, in 1958, they were married in Joan’s home-town of Stamford, Lincolnshire.
In May,1959 the first of their three children was born. Lesley Carol Platt (later Webber) was born in Peterborough, not far from Stamford,& Malcolm’s family had begun.
In 1960, Malcolm was posted to Germany & served with the British Army on the Rhine (B.A.O.R.) ,a military division guarding West Germany along with the other Allied Forces of World War 2.
In July,1962 Malcolm’s second child, Malcolm Kevin (Jnr), was born at the RAF Hospital, Wegburg, Germany. After only six weeks, Malcolm & his now larger family returned to England. Malcolm was posted at the Luffenham Air Base, Lincolnshire, very close to Joan’s home-town of Stamford.
In July,1963 their third child, Karen Julie (later Daly) was born at Cottesmore, Rutland.
Some time after 1964 Malcolm left the RAF & returned to civilian life.
For a short time the family moved to Malcolm’s home-town of Handsworth & West Bromwich in Staffordshire where they lived with Malcolm’s parents until moving in to a home of their own. This was short-lived, later moving back to Stamford. Here the family stayed until, in 1969, the family took the giant leap of emigrating to Australia.
They arrived in Sydney, NSW in January, 1970 & after staying for a short while with Joan’s brother Len Dawson, moved to the beach-side suburb of Cronulla. The family settled in well with Malcolm securing employment with Cronulla Carrying Company, a local haulage firm , driving semi-trailers carrying fuel, steel & heavy goods. Joan secured a teaching position at South Cronulla Primary School & the children attended Cronulla Primary School.
After several moves around the Cronulla area, in 1975 the family relocated to southern NSW to the small country town of Tooma, at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains. Here Malcolm worked at renovating & repairing homes in the area. This was his true passion, having carried out major renovations & re-building of every home they bought.
After a couple of years, Malcolm & Joan bought the local ‘Tooma Store’, a small general convenience store serving the local community. Earning a living from the small business was hard & frustrating & within 2 years they sold & moved to Tumbarumba, NSW.
They purchased an old homestead, ‘Bendoc’, along with 29 acres of land.
Malcolm spent the next 8 or 9 years restoring & renovating the homestead resulting in a beautiful home with abundant craftsmanship throughout the home.
Malcolm also carried out furniture restoration from his workshop & also returned to truck-driving for a while.
1981 was one of the happiest & proudest times of Malcolm’s life. Both of his daughters were married, Lesley in March to David (Charlie) Webber & Karen to Anthony (Tony) Daly. Over the next 7 years,5 grand-children arrived; Amanda Daly in August,1983; Matthew Webber in August,1984; Michael Daly in November,1985; Jordan Webber in March,1987 & Jacob Webber in May,1990. Malcolm revelled in his role as grand-father, called ‘Poppy’ by his grand-children.
By 1989, the ‘itchy feet syndrome’ had struck again. Malcolm & Joan moved north to Gympie, Queensland. They bought yet another home & duly went about renovating it.
Within a couple of years, the rest of the family had moved to Queensland to be close to Malcolm & Joan.
For the next few years in his semi-retirement Malcolm devoted his time to renovating, as well as carrying out odd jobs in the area.
By 1996, Malcolm’s story of sadness & hardship began. One night, after falling heavily on some slippery steps, a bone punched a hole through Malcolm’s shoulder AC joint. In agony, he went to the doctor’s, only to be told that it was just a small injury & would heal itself. Despite many more visits to the doctor’s, the injury went undiagnosed. For 12 months Malcolm coped with the agonizing pain. Limiting his ability to carry out his work & life passion, Malcolm began a slow but steady decline in to depression.
In 1997, the injury to Malcolm’s shoulder was eventually diagnosed & surgery followed but several months later Malcolm was diagnosed with Pulminary Fibrosis, a disease which causes hardening of the lungs. A terminal illness.
Despite several years of treatment for the pulmonary fibrosis & depression, Malcolm was never to regain his spark & enthusiasm. To add to the despair, Malcolm was later diagnosed with lung cancer & underwent radiation treatment which proved only partially successful.
After years of battle, Malcolm’s illnesses finally overwhelmed him & on the 14th July,2002, at Gympie Hospital, Malcolm passed away in his sleep.
Malcolm was cremated at Gympie Crematorium & his ashes now rest in peace with his wife & life-long soul-mate Joan, who sadly passed away 11 months later.
Malcolm ‘The Chief’ Platt is greatly missed by his family & all who knew him. He instilled the values of hard work & honesty in his children & grand-children . Our memories of Malcolm will remain forever; a strong, caring man willing to help all who approached him. A craftsman of the highest level, always wanting to learn, perfect & share his many skills.
GRO DEATH INDEX:
Name: ERNEST JOSEPH GRIGG
Death Year: 1993
Age: 79
Birth Date: 24 Jul 1914
Death Registration Month/Year: Dec/93
Registration District: Birmingham
Inferred County: West Midlands
Register Number: 53A Entry number: 163
GRO DEATH INDEX:
Name: IRIS IRENE HORNE
Death Year: 2001
Age: 84
Birth Date: 3 Dec 1917
Death Registration Month/Year: Apr/01
Registration District: Dudley
Inferred County: West Midlands
Register Number: B54F Entry number: 222DUDLEY COUNCIL DEATH RECORDS:
1.5.2001
Iris Irene Mary HORNE
Stourbridge Crematorium
Possible marriage:
March Quarter, 1915
Aston, Warwickshire
Volume 6d Page 613
GRIGG Eleanor
PAXTON Ralph A.
Death :
Kings Norton March quarter 1895 6c 353
NORTHFIELD PARISH REGISTERS FHL Film No.0367833
Baptism Entry No.282 10 September,1854
Samuel,son of Joseph & Eliza GRIGG. Father's occupation: Farmer. Abode: Woodcock Hill.POSSIBLE GRO DEATH ENTRY:
Deaths March 1880
Name: GRIGG Samuel
Age at death: 25
Reg. District: Kings Norton
Volume 6c Page 290
ENTRY FROM NORTHFIELD,WORCS. MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS:
In memory of Joseph Grigg who died April 20th 1862 aged 56 years.
Also Frances beloved wife of the above who died June 23rd 1866 aged 64
years.Possible child of Joseph & Frances: 25 June 1826 Elizabeth d. of Joseph & Frances Grigg Burcot Worcesteshire Labourer
ENTRY FROM NORTHFIELD,WORCS. MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS:
In memory of Joseph Grigg who died April 20th 1862 aged 56 years.
Also Frances beloved wife of the above who died June 23rd 1866 aged 64
years.Possible child of Joseph & Frances: 25 June 1826 Elizabeth d. of Joseph & Frances Grigg Burcot Labourer
SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF ENGLAND,HALESOWEN PARISH REGISTERS.
FHL Film No.886632
Volume 10:1761-1786.
SAMUEL GRIGG,son of James & Ann,baptised 25 July,1779.GRO DEATH INDEX:
Name: Grigg, Samuel
Record Type: Deaths
Quarter: June
Year: 1857
District: Kings Norton
County: Staffordshire Warwickshire Worcestershire
Volume: 6c Page: 25_Northfield Lewis Worcestershire Directory 1820
Grigg Samuel, farmer
NORTHFIELD PARISH REGISTERS FHL Film No.0367833
Burial Entry No. 141A 29 October,1852
Jemima GRIGG. Age: 78 years. Abode: Northfield.GRO DEATH INDEX:
Name: Grigg, Jemima
Record Type: Deaths
Quarter: December
Year: 1852
District: Kings Norton
County: Staffordshire Warwickshire Worcestershire
Volume: 6c Page: 212
SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF ENGLAND,HALESOWEN PARISH REGISTERS.
Volume 8. Baptisms 1736-1761/Marriages 1736-1754/Burials 1736-1761.
JAMES GRIGG,Son of Samuel & Mary Grigg,of Langley,baptised 2 November,1755.SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF ENGLAND,HALESOWEN PARISH REGISTERS.
MARRIAGE by BANNES:
JAMES GRIGG & ANN PARKES,by Bannes,both of this parish,married 27 January,1778.
SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF ENGLAND,HALESOWEN PARISH REGISTERS.
MARRIAGE by BANNES:
JAMES GRIGG & ANN PARKES,by Bannes,both of this parish,married 27 January,1778.
SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF ENGLAND,HALESOWEN PARISH REGISTERS.
FHL FILM NO.886632.
Volume 8. Baptisms 1736-1761/Marriages 1736-1754/Burials 1736-1761.
SAMUEL GRIGG & MARY HARRIS,both of this parish,married 27 March,1749.
SAINT JOHN'S CHURCH OF ENGLAND,HALESOWEN PARISH REGISTERS.
Volume 8. Baptisms 1736-1761/Marriages 1736-1754/Burials 1736-1761.
SAMUEL GRIGG & MARY HARRIS,both of this parish,married 27 March,1749.
BAPTISM RECORD FROM ST.JOHN THE BAPTIST,C of E,HALESOWEN,WORCESTERSHIRE PARISH REGISTERS
Volume 8: ELIZABETH GRIGG,Daughter of Samuel & Mary Grigg,of Langley,baptised 15 December,1752.