Rex Gow is a gentleman and one who lives according to this motto:
“I expect that I shall pass this way but once, any good therefore that I can do, any kindness that I can show then please allow me to do so.
“Let me neither deter nor neglect it for I may not pass this way again,”
This quote Rex memorised as a young man and he has lived his life accordingly.
Born on the 12th of August 1928, Rex says his world was “very small” when he was growing up in Roberts Creek (Woodford Island) which is the largest river island in the Southern Hemisphere. It is 40 miles long and 8 miles wide.
“I will always remember one particular family (from those early days), the Carr family because they swore like troupers,” he said
Rex said he had the best of parents.
“My parents were vital to my upbringing,” he said.
Born in a cottage hospital in Ulmarra, Rex is the third son of his parents.
“During the War years I ran the family farm on my own at the age of 15,” he said.
“My mum was in hospital having a hysterectomy and my dad had, had a farming accident, and ended up in Maclean Hospital.
“I had to milk 19 cows by hand a day,” Rex confirmed.
There were pigs and chooks to look after and a kid sister.
Rex says he was determined to grow corn during this time, so he ploughed the field and planted the corn and says, ‘he got the corn up’. He said it was a bumper crop but also the most crooked crop he had ever seen.
When Rex was 19, he had a serious medical episode with ruptured appendicitis and peritonitis and was unwell for several years and he was terribly angry at his situation.
“The one day I realised I had been given a second chance at life, and I changed my whole attitude,” he said.
Rex is a country music aficionado and has a huge collection of records, and cd’s.
Rex has his own recording equipment and he believes he can do a better recording on his equipment than the quality of sound on a store brought CD.
He believes that the needle on his stereo is an elliptical needle for clarity and precision.
“I have the first recorder that PHILLIPS released in the world and then imported into Australia.
“I also perfected a system to be able to record from vinyl 78 LP’s,” he said.
Meeting Buddy Williams
Being a country music fan, Rex had the good fortune to meet the late great Buddy Williams (who commenced his singing career at Grafton’s Jacaranda Festival in 1936).
“It was a Friday night and I was with one of my older brothers Ken, who was hoping to become a country music star.
“Ken had ordered a guitar from Lamberton’s music store in Grafton.
“Buddy was there sitting in a chair, and he actually tuned my brother’s guitar for him,” he said
“I didn’t know Buddy Williams that well but principally I’m a collector.
“I’ve collected all his records,” Rex said
Buddy Williams died in 1985 from lung cancer.
“I’ve been into country music all my life,” he said.
Now that Rex is getting up in years, he has decided to bequeath his large record collection to the Dorrigo Museum.
“We are working together on it.
“I had been concerned by what to do with my collection, and had decided to leave it to Schaeffer House, in Grafton, but they declined it,” he said.
Rex has Buddy Williams very first record, titled, “They call me the Rambling Yodeller,” released in 1939.
Rex says Buddy was born into an orphanage in Glebe in Sydney and when Buddy was about 10-11 years old, he was adopted by an English couple and they used him as a farmhand in Dorrigo. Apparently, Buddy was very unhappy with his home life and ran away several times, but the police always returned him back to Dorrigo and his adopted parents. Buddy finally escaped and made it to the Clarence.
Rex says, 2GF Radio came on the air in 1933 and a businessman named Gordon Wingfield sponsored a session on 2GF at 8pm on a Tuesday night. It comprised a sing-along round a piano in the studio.
On one particular evening Rex’s mother called in to say hello to her cousin Gordon Wingfield in his shop and a gentleman walked in waiting to be served. He said, “Excuse me but I know of a young fellow working at Darby’s Dairy farm at Whiteman Creek, he calls himself Buddy Williams and he’s been singing and playing guitar around the local area,”
When Gordon closed the shop, he went up and got Buddy and put him on 2GF that night.
Buddy was so good that people thought his live singing was a record.
Buddy was also featured on ABC 2NR in 1936 and they had a similar program to Gordon Wingfield’s show on 2GF.
The Dorrigo connection came about because they decided to celebrate 100 years since Buddy Williams was born in 1918. Unfortunately, they did not have much material on Buddy as in photographs and posters, but they had heard of Rex Gow and his passion as a country music collector, so they invited Rex to their celebration. Rex met Buddy William’s daughter Karen who unveiled a plaque on Buddy’s behalf all these years later.
The Dorrigo Museum has decided to continue annual celebrations regaling Buddy. Also, they hope to erect a statue of Buddy Williams. They have also planned for signage on the highway reading, ‘Buddy’s Country’.
Rex Gow’s country music collection is going to a wonderful home and Rex can now rest easy that his passion and pride will bring joy to many people for a long time to come.