To have made your mark in your chosen career is one thing, but there are a handful of people in life who make a huge impact in more than one industry. Good friend of Ramsey Bros, Brenton Hissey is just one of these unforgettable people.
A former farmer from the Eyre Peninsula, Brenton sadly passed away in 2012. He left behind many things to be proud of — he was a family man, a much-loved member of the community and a great mate to everyone who was lucky enough to cross his path. His is an uplifting story of determination in finding real success after farming. We caught up with his son, Paul Hissey, for a chat about his wonderful dad.
“Farming was in our family. Dad was a wheat and sheep farmer on around 3,000 acres on a farm in Yaninee near Wudinna, which he took over from his father. He and Mum worked hard on the land but unfortunately, they were sideswiped by a couple of poor seasons and the harsh interest rates of the late eighties. Like so many farmers across our community, and nationwide, Mum and Dad were forced to sell the family farm, and seek a living doing something else,” Paul recalls.
“No one expects to lose their life’s work. But rather than throw in the towel, he turned his attention to following something else that sparked his interest. I still remember the last year that we had the farm, Dad was dividing his time between cropping and learning to fly. It was obviously something that grabbed his attention but it was admirable that he took that curiosity and turned it into a very successful career after such a setback.
“Dad did his training with Whyalla Airlines before going to work for them. At the time, there were no flights from Wudinna to Adelaide, but Dad got that set up. As a local, he knew how much it would change things for the local community to be able to get to Adelaide to see people like their accountants in just a single day.
“He continued with these flights for around 10 years and then transferred to a great job with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Alice Springs, where he was affectionately known as ‘Farmer’. With them for around 15 years, he spent time based in Port Augusta before a second stint in Alice Springs as the Chief Pilot, which was something we were so proud of,” Paul continues.
“But one of the memories that stands out the most to me was back when Dad was in his early days of flying when we were young. I remember we had a small plane in one of our paddocks and one morning, Dad decided to fly my three younger sisters and I to school. It was only 20km down the road to the local school in Wudinna but we kids thought it was a pretty cool way to get there,” Paul fondly recalls. Brenton will be remembered for many things and we truly admire how he turned a tough knock into such a fulfilling career. We will always think of him, his wife Jenny and their family with a lot of respect and friendship.
