Ernest John Maltby awarded OAM for service to Bowen community

A talented craftsman and passionate supporter of the arts has been celebrated for his decades of service to the community of Bowen.

Ernest John Maltby (1941-2020) lived his whole life in Bowen, working at Lowcock Builders, and volunteering with a variety of community groups over several decades. He was also a keen fisherman, with a hut at Meatworks Creek. Picture: Supplied.

The daughter of the late John Maltby says if there is one thing her father should be remembered for, it is his “commitment to the Bowen community, whatever he was involved in”.

The born and bred Bowen-ite was posthumously awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia earlier this year, after he passed away in May 2020.

His family has paid tribute to the man who worked “tirelessly” in many areas of the community during his life.

Officially, the talented craftsman and passionate supporter of the arts won the prestigious honour for his contributions to the Bowen Woodworkers and Woodturners Association, the Bowen Regional Arts Council, the Whitsunday Regional Council Regional Arts Development Fund, and Parents and Citizens Associations for Bowen State High School and St Mary’s Catholic School.

But as daughter Julianne Cervellin summed it up, the builder by trade and father of five simply liked to be involved in a community he loved and was “always putting his hand up for something,” whether it be church building repairs, chaperoning social events, or handcrafting wooden statues for community groups to hand out at awards ceremonies.

“He was just a volunteer, and a worker – he was a really hands-on person,” Mrs Cervellin said.

It was a trait that ran right through Mr Maltby’s family – his mother, father and brother all previously received OAMs or equivalent honours of their own for contributions to the Bowen community.

John’s wife Margaret Maltby was heavily involved with the Bowen Quilters Association before she retired, and both were big supporters of the Bowen Show.

Mrs Cervellin said her dad would be “tickled pink” to know he had upheld the family tradition, though he was not concerned with recognition while he was alive.

“He just liked to see things being achieved in organisations,” Mrs Cervellin said.

“He was always a person that loved to get projects off the ground, and he was a bit of a perfectionist, so when he got involved in something, he liked it to be done well and he liked it to be done on time.”

What stood out most to Mrs Cervellin, on reflection, was how “meticulous” her father was in his planning and preparation of projects, no matter what the scale.

“He would think of everything that needed to happen to see things through from their inception to their completion,” she said.

“He wanted to see things funded and completed to where everyone was happy with them.”

She said her father’s passing had left a big hole in the community, especially the Woodturners, of which he was a founding and life member, with skills and workmanship that could not be matched.

She said the family had been touched to receive messages of support from all corners of the community, after Covid-19 restrictions limited attendance at his funeral last year.

“Everyone’s commented on what a gentleman he was and what a kind man he was. It’s really lovely when people say things like that,” Mrs Cervellin said.

The late Ernest John Maltby's medal of the Order of Australia was accepted by Nicholas Tatnell, pictured with Mrs Margaret Maltby. Photo: Governor of Queensland.

The late Ernest John Maltby’s service to the community of Bowen included:

Bowen Woodworkers and Woodturners Association
• Secretary/Treasurer, 2009-2020.
• President, 1996.
• Executive Member, since 1996.
• Former Judge, Woodworking, Bowen Show, 1990s-2000s.
• Life Member, 2019.
• Founding Member, 1994.

Townsville Area Woodturners Association
• Former Member, 10 years.
• Former Judge, Woodworking, Townsville Show, 1990s-2000s.

Bowen Regional Arts Council
• Former President.
• Committee Member, mid-2000s.

Bowen State High School Parents and Citizens Association
• Former President, 3 years.
• Member, 1977-1988.
• Member, Friends of the Concert Band Committee, 1997-2000.

St Mary‘s Catholic School Parents and Friends Committee
• Former President, 3 years.
• Member, 1970-1982, and early-1990s.

Whitsunday Regional Council Regional Arts Development Fund
• Committee Member, 1999-2009

Originally published as Ernest John Maltby awarded OAM for service to Bowen community