Alistair was born in Subiaco, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, on the 19th of March, 1930. On leaving school he moved to New South Wales to attend the Seventh Day Adventist College at Cooranbong. There he met and married Lord Howe resident, Betty Woolnough. After the birth of their daughter, Denise, they returned to Lord Howe Island. Al was very handy and worked jobs. One of these was assisting Eric Hines in the butchery behind the Curio Shop (now Arajilla Lodge).
A son, Gary, was born in 1954, but not long after this Al and Betty divorced. Al stayed on at Lord Howe, working at “Pinetrees Lodge” where he eventually met his second wife, Wilma, a widow with three children Cathy, Mark and Sally. Together Al and Wilma had a son, Philip, born in 1961.
Al joined the Bureau of Meteorology as an observer and did his training at the Lord Howe Met Station, situated (at that stage) above Middle Beach. In 1966, Al was transferred to Alice Springs, which started the family travelling wherever Al was posted. This included Lord Howe again, Norfolk Island, Coffs Harbour, Melbourne, Mascot (Sydney), and two trips to the Antarctic – which he totally enjoyed.
After the death of Philip, in 1987, Al retired to Coffs Harbour where he and Wilma decided to stay put. Al had always been a keen gardener and golfer, so he really became interested in both these hobbies, winning many prizes in the small garden category over many years. After Wilma’s death, Al sold up and moved to the SDA Assisted Living Complex at Cooranbong. He passed away on the 5th of February, 2025, and is now resting with Philip and Wilma on Lord Howe, as per his wishes.
