Joe’s journey From war, to a cyclone, to toppling in a tank – it’s all part of a rich life story for Maleny local, Joe Beaupellet.
by Victoria McGuin
J
oe BeAuPeLLet iS A GeNtLeMAN. the welcoming smile, coffee and biscuits upon my arrival gave me this clear impression. He is also a Frenchman with such a strong accent you would think he has just arrived in Australia, rather than lived here for 50 years! Joe’s childhood is a humbling story, and his tenacity and good humour over the years in France and Australia is an inspiration. “i was born in February 1925 and lived in Brittany,” Joe told me. “When World War ii started, we had to go to Lyon – it was the capital of the French resistance. “Food was scarce, i only weighed 45 kilos when i was 14 years old. i ate my first orange when i was 12, it was my Christmas present. “i was the eldest of seven children, and if you didn’t wake up first the others would pinch your food!” Joe gave a wry smile. “our parents would put things in our shoes, and we were happy with small things. Just a potato on your plate would make you happy, as they were hard to find.” in 1945, the Germans began to leave. “the government were giving guns to the French people to fight the soldiers, but the trouble was they weren’t trained French soldiers, so they would aim at the German soldiers and get shot themselves. it was terrible.” Joe was a secretary in the Navy and, although he did some outside exercises, much of his time was spent working in the office. “i was in the Navy wanting to visit the world, but i spent 28 months in Algeria, during the France/Algeria war, so i didn’t travel anywhere else.”
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HiNterLANd tiMeS – JuLY 2019
A young Joe in the Navy in 1956
Joe did, however, meet his wife, danielle, there. “My wife is from Algeria and she didn’t like the cold weather back in Lyon, where i was living. She was ready to start a new life somewhere warm. “it was good timing, as there was a strike, a revolution in France in 1968 and i was pretty involved with the union, i wasn’t very popular.” Joe’s eyes twinkled, “i was a ‘troublemaker’.” Joe, danielle and their three daughters made the move and arrived in Adelaide on a ship called the Galileo in 1969. “i worked in Adelaide for a week on a car factory production line. there were three of us French men there, and i was told there were plenty of jobs in darwin.” determined to carve a path in Australia, Joe moved up to darwin first, with the family to join him once he had established work and a place to live. “i worked as a welder, making stairways, balconies, anything with steel and metal. i was being paid for eight hours a day but working for 12,” Joe shook his head. “Luckily, i met another Frenchman who told me there was a good job
