Legacy member of 22 years celebrates 94th birthday
Terry Hayes celebrates his 94th birthday and has been congratulated for his passion for Mackay.
Community News
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AS former Daily Mercury writer and Mackay Legacy member Terry Hayes celebrated his 94th birthday on Monday, his friends commended his commitment to the community.
“We want to acknowledge Terry’s service and what he has done with Legacy,” fellow Mackay Legacy member Mark Easterbrook said.
“He’s done a lot in the community, with sport clubs, the historical society.
“He’s been a stalwart for Legacy and a great ambassador.”
Mr Hayes retired on March 13 after 23 years as part of Legacy and 12 years as secretary.
Described as a gentleman with “old school values, ethics and morals”, his friends Mr Easterbrook, Eileen Bourke (friends for 74 years) and Les Palmer (friends for 40 years), said the dedicated man had no faults and could tell you everything there was to know about his hometown of Mackay.
“When you speak with Terry, it’s a wholesome feeling,” Mr Easterbrook said.
“You know it’s an honest conversation. He’s truthful in how he engages. He’s fair dinkum.”
Mr Palmer worked with Mr Hayes on the railway for years.
“He’s just a really good, honest person,” he said.
Mr Hayes was in the air force in World War II, stationed in Australia for two years, then worked on the railway for 37 years before working 15 years at the Daily Mercury from 1987, as a feature writer and a sport correspondent for rugby league, cricket and racing.
Mr Hayes was also a member of the Mackay rugby league club management committee for a number of years and spent three years as president of the local cricket association.
With his passion for writing about sports and his involvement in the sporting community, Mr Hayes was involved in the Daily Mercury Sports Awards which were published on New Year’s Day, followed by an awards night.
“The last year we did that, 93 people got sports awards from around Mackay,” he said.
Mr Hayes said he also received a number of Citizen of the Year awards from Mackay Regional Council.
“It was very satisfying. I appreciate all the awards,” he said.
Despite the praise bestowed on Mr Hayes, he remains humble and said his accomplishments were “nothing remarkable”.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Mr Hayes was unable to celebrate his birthday in style, but was grateful for the kind words from his community and friends.
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