A life cut short
Gordon was the second child born to George and Winnie Nunn; his mother affectionately called him “Dumpling” because of his love of that food.
Along with his siblings he grew up in Margaret St, Rockhampton, apart from a time spent in Longreach which is about 700km by road west of Rockhampton.
While there Gordon almost drowned in the local swimming pool as he was never taught to swim. He completed his schooling at Allenstown Primary in Rockhampton which is directly opposite the house.
He entered Queensland Railways as a lad porter and worked his way up to become a station master. For a time he stepped away from the job and, in doing so, lost some benefits of seniority.
In June 1950, he married Norma June Dobbs, the daughter of John Alexis Dobbs Coker and Bella Silver. They had seven children, six of whom survived to adulthood.
Daughter Annette died in an electrical accident in 1978 just a couple of months short of her 21st birthday.
The family was at Benaraby near Gladstone until 1962 when Gordon was posted back to Rockhampton where we lived at 2 Flynn St, near the Base Hospital.
He was a relieving station master which meant he spent weeks at a time at outlying stations partly because the money was better.
In 1975, he was at Yarwun near Gladstone when a work accident cut short his life aged 50.
He was helping out in the shunting process when he made an error of judgment and stepped in between the buffers of two coal wagons and was fatally injured.
Following are various images, including excerpts from Gordon’s birth, marriage and death certificates.