Fiveash, Ronald 'Ron'
Ronald Ashton Fiveash
Warrant Officer - # 432145 - 452 Squadron RAAF
Ronald Ashton Fiveash, known to most of us as "Ron" and to some long standing friends as "Freddie". Husband of Betty. Dad to Kathrine, Robin, Elizabeth and Anthony. Much loved Granddad and Great Granddad to 13 Grandchildren and 7 Great Grandchildren. Ron was born in Armidale on the 1st of October 1924, to Elizabeth and Herbert Fiveash. Ron had a sister, June, 2 years older, and Wyn, Roy and Kay younger, all born in Armidale.
Because of his father's ill health, having been shot in the heart on Gallipoli, he had to leave school, after completing the 6th grade, to learn a trade in order to look after his mother, father and the rest of the family. He went to Technical College and was later tutored by the headmaster of Ben Venue School in Math, algebra and Geometry enabling him to join the Air Training Corp and have the qualification to join the Royal ir Force, which he did at the age of 18.
He did his preliminary flying training at Bradfield Park, Sydney and various other places in NSW and was privileged to be the only one in his course to be chosen to fly Spitfires. He obtained his 'wings' at 18 years of age before he could even drive a car (A fact that he has always been very proud of). He was posted at the later part of the war to Darwin, where he joined 452 Spitfire Squadron and flew over New Guinea and Associated Islands against the Japanese attack.
On the 9th of March 1944 he was injured in a crash, flying to Perth in a thunderstorm, as it was thought a Japanese attack on Perth was imminent. He returned to Darwin and flew with many well known pilots of the famous 452 squadron, many stories of which he has passed onto his children and grandchildren. After the war he returned to Armidale to take up building with his father and brother, where he remained for a number of years. On the 15th of October 1949, Ron and Betty were married at St Peters in Armidale. They had had four children, Kathrine, Robin, Elizabeth and Anthony.
The family moved to Rockhampton in 1962 and spent 4 and a half very happy years there where Ron had a multitude of experience building commercial projects. The family returned to Toowoomba to take up building again on numerous large projects for G.C. Strohfeld and Sons and later on his own account and finally opening a Plant Hire Business. Ron was invited to join the Darling Downs Building Society as a director of the
Heritage Building Society, where in all he spent nearly 25 years as a director of the board. Always a keen sportsman, playing Cricket, Football and Tennis, he coached along the children to give only their best at whatever they took part in and was a hard taskmaster to everyone and also to grandchildren encouraging them in their chosen sports.
The Family moved to Brisbane to be closer to their children and grand children which have all had Grandad's "More than five cents worth" given in advice to them. He has always been very proud of the children as he watched them grow and have families of their own and instilled in them all his pursuit as a perfectionist, a loving father and a much loved grandfather and great grandfather.
