Ken Townsend ('57)

Ken Townsend grew up in and went to primary school in Haberfield. He had a younger sister, Frances. His mother wanted both children to have a special education and Ken was enrolled in Trinity Grammar School  and his sister enrolled in the sister school Meriden Girls School Strathfield. 

Ken started high school in February 1952 as a day boarder. On his second day at school he was sitting on the edge of the pool at lunchtime. The school had a great swimming team. He dived in and swam a lap. When he got back to the end of the pool there was another young man his age standing there, and he said to Ken, “Do you want to race?” Ken replied “Why not.”

The other man said “My name’s Johnson” and Ken replied “My name’s Townsend.” They dived in together and had a race. That was the beginning of a life long friendship that lasted 70 years until Kim Johnson passed away at the beginning of 2022.

Ken was a natural athlete and joined in the many sports offered at Trinity Grammar and represented in many. The school had a cricket team, union football team, and an excellent swimming pool. Ken represented the school for many years at the Associated Schools Swimming Carnival at North Sydney Pool. He competed and trained against the likes of Olympic swimmers Murray Rose and John Konrads. He also represented at cricket and rugby. Always the achiever, Ken was also Vice School Captain and House Captain.

Leaving school his ambition was to study Medicine. He completed his first year at Sydney University, then went to Anatomy Class where they had dead bodies. At that stage he decided Medicine was not his calling and transferred to Pharmacy. Still loving sport, at University he joined the Squash Team. He quickly excelled, and as was his character, played hard and trained often, and went on to become a state grade squash player.

Leaving University he did his first year in retail Pharmacy at Miranda, then joined a husband and wife owned Pharmacy in Jannali. In February 1970 he married Pam and they purchased a house in Jannali. They quickly had 3 children, all girls. The promised partnership in the Pharmacy didn’t look like it would eventuate (it never did with anyone), so in 1979 he took up a position as Manager in a West Cessnock Pharmacy and the family relocated. Midway through the first year a bigger Pharmacy in the main street came on the market, so they cashed up and bought their first business. Ken continued with his squash playing but by this time the knees were wearing out, so tennis became the next sport.

In 1985 came another move, this time to the Central Coast. They sold up and moved to Berkeley Vale, started another Pharmacy in the newly built Chittaway Shopping Centre where Ken stayed for 10 years before semi-retiring and working for others. By this time the knees were really suffering, so tennis gave way to golf. He also learned to play bridge, a hobby which gave him great enjoyment and made many wonderful friends.

In 2014 he fell and broke his femur badly, and gradually had to walk with the aid of a walking frame. Learning to play bridge gave him focus and friendship. However, a heart issue and the inability to be physically active became problematic, and he spent the last 18 months of his life in a Nursing Home. However, always the gentleman, he was the nurses favourite and always had people around him right to the end.

The family all still live nearby, and he is remembered as an extremely personable man who is greatly loved and admired.  Ken is survived by his wife Pamela and their three children, Kelly, Rebecca and Belinda and four grandchildren.

                                                                                         “Fly High Poppy”.