(Photo attached)
Stan was born in 1927 at Morwell to George and Elsie Brown. He was the youngest of 3 (brother Gordon and sister Nola). His father was killed at the Briquette Factory when Stan was only 6. His mother had to take in washing to support her young family, which included filthy briquette factory towels, cleaned at a charge of “tupperance” each. His family were the original occupants of 48 Narracan Avenue in Yallourn and Stan lived there till he was married. His mother remained in the house until she died in 1969.
Stan went to Yallourn State School, then Yallourn Tech College. He rode his pushbike to school and for two years, he delivered milk/cream in the morning before school. He was also a paperboy. Stan played soccer with the Yallourn Schoolboys Team and one of those games was played at the MCG. As he grew older he went on to play Aussie Rules with the Yallourn Football Club, 167 games, all in the back pocket position. He played in the 1948 Grand Final - the last time Yallourn won the Premiership. At one stage, he had the opportunity to try out for Carlton Football Club, but wasn’t able to continue.
At the age of 16, he joined the SEC as an apprentice Electrical Fitter and completed his Diploma of Electrical Engineering at night school, in 1954 attaining an appointment as Laboratory Assistant Grade 1B. During the following 17 years, he held a number of engineering positions within the Electrical Laboratory section and was appointed Communications Major Engineer (Engineer Class 4) in 1981, the position he retired from in 1985. During his 42 years at the SEC, he demonstrated a most efficient and conscientious approach to his work and was held in high esteem by both his peers and the personnel he supervised.
Stan married Patricia Douglas from Morwell Bridge in 1952 and they lived at 7 Tyers Ave, Yallourn until 1960, when they moved to Morwell. They had four children - Doug, Shirley, Barry and Sharon. After Patricia’s death in 1970, he remarried Ivy and helped raise her four children - Ross, Dennis, Rhonda and Shane.
At Stan’s funeral in March 2013, there were 300 people which was a wonderful tribute and showed the mark he left on the community.