Recognising 98 yr old Frederick Stanley Sandell's career

From works secretary at Mt Morgan Mine to finance manager of Capricornia newspapers, Fred spent more than 30 years in central Queensland.

Fred Sandell, pictured with his wife Jean and daughter Mirth, receives a 50-year award for his work with the Freemasons from VW Bro Lyle Crompton. Picture: Balance Photography

From works secretary at Mt Morgan Mine to finance manager of Capricornia newspapers, Fred Sandell's professional life saw him spend more than 30 years in central Queensland.

Now 98 and retired in Nambour, Mr Sandell was awarded a 50-year 'jewel' in January this year in honour of his service to the Freemasons.

Fred Sandell receives a 50-year award for his work with the Freemasons. Picture: Balance Photography

He was also active in Rotary and Apex and various societies of accountants and secretaries.

The Morning Bulletin has been provided with the following details about Mr Sandell's life:

FREDERICK was born in Lithgow on 15 January 1921, and attended the public school there.

His father was an engineer with Hoskins Iron & Steel, which later became Australian Iron & Steel, before it was taken over by B.H.P.

His father was transferred to Port Kembla, but the family lived in Wollongong, five kilometres away, where Fred attended High School.

Fred started work at the Steel Works in Port Kembla as a junior clerk, but three months later became a Commercial Trainee, training at all outposts of B.H.P.

His first major appointment was as an accountant at South Portland Cement at Berrima, a subsidiary of B.H.P.

In 1953, to widen his career experience, he accepted a position as Works Secretary at Mount Morgan Mine.

Fred has been described as a Royalist, and that is easy to understand, for in March 1954 he met Jean, a music teacher, at the Criterion Hotel on the day the Queen and Prince Phillip came to Rockhampton.

Fred has talked about his most embarrassing moment that occurred during his courting days.

He arrived to take Jean to their first ball and found it was a cross-dressing affair.

He might be slim, but he was not a pretty sight.

Fred and Jean have a daughter Mirth, a granddaughter Olivia and grandson Hugh who reside on the Sunshine Coast.

In 1969, realising that the days of Mount Morgan Mine were numbered, he moved to Brambles Industries in Sydney as Administration Manager, Project Development Division.

However the yearning for Central Queensland was too strong, so he was back in Rockhampton in 1973 as Finance Manager and Secretary of Capricornia Newspapers, where he worked until his retirement in July 1988.

Fred and Jean retired to the family farm at Kenilworth raising Poll Hereford Cattle - a far cry from his accounting years.

During his 'retirement' he was kept busy running the family property, as well as completing the necessary tax returns for the family. In 2017 they downsized and moved to Nambour.

During his career he described his greatest challenge was coming out on top of the industrial strife that plagued the newspaper industry at the time.

His most frightening experience was going with the General Manager of Mount Morgan Mine to one of the benches of the Open Cut to find out why only half of the dynamite charges had exploded during a demonstration for V.I.P visitors.

His most exciting memory was to have a buffalo nudge his soft top vehicle twice near the Company's Mount Bundey Iron Ore Mine in the Northern Territory.

One of his proudest moments was being recognised for his 70 year membership of the Australian Society of Accountants and the Chartered Institute of Company Secretaries.

Fred has enjoyed his over 70 year career as an accountant, having been awarded a lapel pin for 70 years as a Certified Practising Accountant in 2013.

He began his accountancy course by correspondence in 1936 and in about 1942 obtained his degree with the Association of Accountants of Australia.

He also obtained degrees with the Chartered Institute of Secretaries, and later with the Australian Institute of Cost Accountants, now CPA Senior.

His career took him and his family around the country including Sydney, and later Rockhampton where Fred was the secretary and later assistant manager of the Australian Provincial Newspapers.

Fred was President of the Rockhampton North Rotary Club from 1983-1984 and is a Paul Harris Fellow.

He has been a member of three Rotary Clubs - Mount Morgan, Warringah and Rockhampton North. He joined Apex in Bowral in 1950 and established Apex in Central Queensland.

On Friday 25 January 2019, Frederick Sandell was presented with a 50-year 'jewel' and Masonic lapel pin to honour his 50 years of service to and membership of Freemasonry.

He joined Mount Morgan Lodge No 57 UGLQ, a Scottish working Lodge, on 13 March 1969 when he was the Company Secretary of the Mount Morgan Mines.

Fred has maintained his interest in, and has enjoyed his membership of, Freemasonry and the many connections it has given him over the years.

This was a lovely award to receive so soon after his 98th birthday the previous week.

Originally published as Recognising 98 yr old Frederick Stanley Sandell's career