Who was the famous Rex Smeal?
PIONEER
THE brother of the man Port Douglas’ famous Rex Smeal Park is named after has made a pilgrimage to mark the 40th anniversary of his tragic death and arrange a headstone memorial for his grave.
At the time of his death in 1976, Rex Smeal was Council’s overseer and was regarded as one of Australia’s best builders of wooden bridges, responsible for the iconic Digger’s Bridge in Mowbray and Poletti’s Bridge off Syndicate Rd which have stood the test of time.
He tragically died from injuries as a result of a head-on collision that occurred while on his way to help his communities when a massive flood caused the Daintree Ferry to break away.
Rex’s brother Colin, who lives in Canberra, travelled up to Mossman recently for the first time since his brother’s death to mark the 40th anniversary, only to realise there was no headstone.
Colin said he contacted Council to see if they could assist in locating the gravesite, when the significance of his brother’s contribution to our communities was realised and Council arranged for the headstone to be made.
“Rex started out as a carpenter in Sydney with our father Wal before moving to Canberra where he built some of their major bridges including the one on Commonwealth Avenue,” Colin said.
“He also did all the concrete for the National Library, one of the biggest jobs in Canberra up to that time and very difficult to do 4000 cubic metres of concrete without a crane which was impractical and there were no concrete pumps back then so Rex invented his own system.
“He then moved up to Queensland, working in Cloncurry and around Longreach before arriving in Mossman.
“It would have been quite a contrast for Rex moving from outback Queensland, and an even greater one from the frosts of Canberra.
“Rex fell in love with Mossman, he told me soon after arriving that he was never going to leave the place and ironically, he hasn’t.
“After his death, Rex’s wife moved away with their five children and I hadn’t been back until recently when I made a pilgrimage to mark the 40th anniversary since we lost him.
“I couldn’t find his gravesite so went into the Council where the staff helped me locate it and then once they realised who he was, they’ve made all the arrangements for his headstone.
“I’m just a pensioner and I’m terribly grateful for everyone’s attitude at Council, especially Liz (Leonard) who filled in all the forms, John (Petherbridge) who showed me through Rex’s old house which is now the Council nursery office and the Mayor and CEO for their support.
“They’ve really gone above and beyond and it means so much to me.
“Our Dad died when I was just 16 so Rex took on a father figure role for me in many ways and tried to keep a slightly wild teenager under control, we were very close despite the age difference so it’s nice to do something for him.
“I admired Rex, not just because he was my big brother but he was such a clever and talented man and could do anything, particularly in building and construction.
“It was great to visit Mossman and see the house he lived in again, although it’s used as an office now it hasn’t changed much in 40 years but the town certainly has.
“It’s funny, it was only a couple of months ago I saw this tourist picture of a hammock in the swaying palm trees and it said the photo was taken in Rex Smeal Park, so it’s nice to know his legacy lives on.”
Neville Tesch, who built bridges with Council for decades and constructed the road over Noah’s Range and the Reicher’s Rd subdivision with “young Rex”, remembers him fondly.
“He was an energetic guy, he didn’t muck around in getting things done, he just went ahead and did it,” Neville said.
“He’d fight for what he wanted and he was always very good at what he did.”
Neville said the irony didn’t stop with Rex’s final resting place, with the park that now carries his name something Rex didn’t believe would ever work.
“Council built a swimming pool on the site, filling it up with sand and bringing all the rocks from off Four Mile Beach, and he was always against doing what they did and reckoned it wouldn’t work,” Neville said.
“They named the park after him not long after he died and we all thought at the time, ‘Rex wouldn’t be turning in his grave, he’d be spinning’.”
Rex enjoyed the last laugh though, with the lagoon pool concept not working just as he predicted and it was filled in and remains one of the most spectacular public spaces on the Australian coastline with views over the Coral Sea to the Daintree Rainforest.
More than 40 years later, Rex’s family are grateful to have finally secured a headstone for his final resting place, which will be installed in the coming weeks.
