Familiar Faces: When Cheryl Met Gordon
Monday March 9 2015, 9:10am
At the age of 21, Cheryl met Gordon Wellham on the very day she completed Obstetrics at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.
It turned out quite a day as celebrating with a friend she met a dashing 22-year-old RAN lieutenant by the name of Gordon Wellham.
From last January, they have been married 40 years and produced two daughters and a son.
Cheryl was born in Auckland into an army family.
Her father was a Kiwi and her English mother’s roots go back five generations through the British Army all the way to the Indian Raj.
Gordon hailed from Newcastle NSW and was brought-up by his dad.
He attended numerous primary schools, before going on to Newcastle Boys High School.
From a young age he sailed boats on Lake Macquarie and at 18, chose a navy career which began at the Naval College at Jervis Bay, south of Sydney.
Gordon rose through the ranks to Captain, and commanded five navy ships in all.
These included the guided missile destroyer HMAS Hobart and the tanker HMAS Westralia.
During his time in the RAN, the family moved 17 times: Two of which were overseas; three years in the UK and two years in Hawaii where Gordon served with the USN in Third Fleet operations at Pearl Harbor.
During The Gulf War, he was deployed for six months as part of the Fleet Commander's staff.
Alongside him, Cheryl continued as a naval wife, enduring long separations of up to six months and raising three very active children, whilst her career continued in the medical profession.
It covered such areas as theatre and coronary care.
Her post nursing career of 15 years saw her venture into sales and marketing in pathology and pharmaceuticals.
Gordon obtained an economics degree, and these skills were put to good use when he set up and headed the Activity Based Costing unit at Navy HQ Canberra.
His hard work was recognised with an AM.
Gordon retired from his naval career in Canberra in 2001.
In 2005 the pair made Port Douglas their home, where they purchased Exemplar Coaches and Limousines.
Their diverse backgrounds have no doubt assisted in the company’s consolidation and growth, providing secure employment for 34 employees.
In voluntary capacities, Gordon was the Port Douglas Yacht Club Commodore for one year and Cheryl served as its secretary for two years.
For the last five years Exemplar has sponsored The Clipper Cup, as part of Carnivale activities.
Gordon also chaired Tourism Port Douglas & Daintree (TPDD) for three years, concurrently as a board member of Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ). He still serves on the TTNQ board.
Cheryl maintains a passionate interest in art and culture.
She served on the Douglas Advisory Board as Arts and Culture representative and as a past secretary and president of Art House Port Douglas, she continues to paint and draw.
They both sail when time permits.
All in all, it was a good day for Port when Cheryl met Gordon.
