General News
5 November, 2024
Alfred "Boyce" Stanley Holland
Alfred Stanley Holland was born February 4, in 1940, at the Warracknabeal hospital.
He was the second child of his father Alfred Younger Holland’s second marriage.
He was the only son which maybe explains why he acquired the nickname “Boyce”.
He was baptised into God’s family and later confirmed at Christ Church (Anglican Church) Warracknabeal.
Boyce is survived by his younger sister Shirley Kotnik who resides in Carnegie, Melbourne with her husband Erich.
His half-sister Joy Inkster, who is aged 97, lives independently in Port Noarlunga South in Adelaide.
Boyce’s fathers first wife Dorothy died in 1930 when Joy was aged three and then Alf married Boyce’s mother Mary Olive Young on April 2, 1934.
Boyce had an older sister Lola Hand who passed away in July 2011.
Boyce grew up at the family farm at Brim East where his father had settled in March 1926.
He was educated at the Galaquil East State School.
Around 1955 he left school and began his farming career share farming land now known as Snake Gully and Garnies.
The family farm was his principal career apart from odd days labouring for neighbours in the shearing shed, tractor driving and contract hay carting.
He also worked on upgrading the railway between Warracknabeal and Hopetoun during the 1967 drought.
During the late 1950's and early 1960's he played 35 games with Brim Football Club and 60 odd games with Bangerang Football Club.
Throughout the 1960's and 1970's he played cricket with the Brim Cricket Club serving as captain of B grade in the later part of his career.
He was a member of the Brim Cricket Club 1966/67 Warracknabeal District Cricket Association premiership team.
In 1963 Boyce met Gwenyth Joan Hayter at a ball at the Bangerang Hall.
More than seven years later on October 10, 1970, they were married in the Methodist Church at Warracknabeal by Reverend Howard Abbey.
The couple spent their first three years living in a very basic farmhouse at Galaquil East known as Lemke’s.
The house had no SEC, telephone, septic tank or hot water service, but Gwen says they were three very happy years.
Boyce and Gwen attended church regularly and Boyce was Guardian at St Pauls Anglican Church Brim from 1975 until it closed in 2011.
After that time he worshipped at St Marks Areegra and Christ Church Warracknabeal.
He also represented Brim on Parish Council for many years.
Boyce and Gwen had two sons David born in 1974 and Graeme 1977.
At the funeral both sons delivered eulogies about their father with some entertaining story telling.
In the 1990's Boyce served as President of the Brim Football Club both in an acting capacity and then a two-year term in 1996/97.
He was a member of the Brim Cemetery Trust, president of the Brim Primary School Parents Club, a junior cricket coach for 15 years and secretary of Warracknabeal District Cricket Association.
Boyce also spent time on the Warracknabeal Secondary College School Council.
When he was president he recited the words of JFK – “Ask not what your country (school) can do for you, ask what you can do for your country (school).“
He was a passionate cropping and sheep farmer and loved the farm to the point where he never wanted to leave it and took an interest right till the end.
Retiring was not an option.
The neat sheds and fences were his pride and joy.
He was renowned for saying, “When you have no money you clean up, as it costs nothing to clean up the farm”.
He provided a story in John Martin’s published book “Dam Fine Yarns” which got a mention in the Weekly Times on November 23, 2005.
The yarn recounted, “Boyce Holland saved his drowning dog with a pair of jumper leads losing his strides in the process”.
He loved dogs and often said “that dog of Graeme’s could be my dog”.
He had a well-known sense of humour and was a regular contributor to the Brim Newsletter with “Boyce's Joke of the Month”.
Boyce never thought he’d see the last section of the Sheep Hills / Bangerang Road sealed, or the Wimmera Mallee pipeline deliver reticulated water, or his grandchildren grow up.
His family is glad he was wrong about all these things.
He enjoyed reading, particularly World War two history.
He also loved the music of Strauss and Andrew Lloyd Webber, the poetry of Banjo Patterson and the comedy of the Goons.
Boyce became a grandfather in 2006 when Ella arrived, then Benjamin 2007, Lucy 2008, Amy 2009 and Oliver 2010.
Graeme and Sarah-Jayne’s son Oliver helped Graeme lay some soil from the farms back paddock on Boyce’s coffin at the cemetery and their girls Ella and Lucy were involved lighting candles in the church.
David and Fiona’s children, Benjamin and Amy read a poem at the graveside.
From 2010 to 2024 Boyce faced many medical challenges and the family is grateful for the care of Dr Franklin Butuyuyu and the staff at Dunmunkle Lodge Minyip who cared for him from May 9, 2022 until he passed away on August 23, 2024.
On September 5, Reverend James Wood led a service of Thanksgiving and Farewell from the Anglican Church in Warracknabeal celebrating the life of Alfred (Boyce) Holland.
Given his deep connection to the land, it was his wish that he be buried at the Brim cemetery closest to the land in which he worked.
Coffin bearers were neighbours Lindsay Martin, Robert Boehm and Alwin Boehm, nephew Conrad Kotnik and sons David and Graeme Holland.
Donations were made to Parkinsons Australia in lieu of flowers.