Page 14 Tuesday, April 26, 2011 The Queensland Times Norman Dixon remembered for his enduring service. Coominya enriched by Iife-long oontribution COOMINYA is poorer for the passing of Norm Dixon but it will be forever richer for his life-long work and family leadership. Mr Dixon passed away at Tabeel Home in Laidley on March 27. He was 92. He had four children, nine grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren. Mr Dixon was born to Walter and Ruby Dixon on July 3, 1918 at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane. Along with his three brothers and sisters, Mr Dixon's family moved to Coominya in 1924. The children completed their schooling there. After he finished school, Mr Dixon joined his father and brothers in the timber industry. During the war years, Mr Dixon ran a firewood-cutting mill and the wood was taken by train to Brisbane. He also joined the home guard and trained in his spare time at Brassall. Mr Dixon met up with former school friend Gladys Friedrick and the couple married on January 27, 1945. They settled in Coominya and had four children — Ron, Shirley Pam and Mervyn. In the late fifties, Mr Dixon found the demand for firewood began to slow as electric stoves became more popular. He decided to close the mill and bought a cream run in Boonah. Unfortunately the weather played a part as Queensland went through a severe drought. After three years Mr Dixon and his wife sold the house and run in Boonah and moved back to Coominya, and eventually bought their old house back. Mr Dixon returned to the timber business, cutting timber which was trucked to a mill outside Ipswich. Ron and Merv followed their dad into the industry, and he worked in the bush until he was 65 when he cut his foot severely with a chainsaw. After a bone graft Mr Dixon recuperated over many months and returned to the bush. At 68 he retired but found he wasn't happy with retirement and began working on farms. Gladys passed away when Norm was 75. He continued to live in the family home with son Merv and eventually retired at 84. He loved spending his spare time walking his dogs, exploring areas around Coominya. Peter Foley