Over the next few weeks, benches will be erected in the Shire to commemorate the life of three local identities.
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The tribute will commemorate the community work and dedication of Maureen Lynam and couple William Rabone and Bessie Rabone (nee Cady).
One memorial bench will be erected outside the iconic Lynam’s Restaurant, now home to the retail store, Arcadia.
The second will be located in Memorial Park in honour of the Rabones’ service to war.
The memorial bench will be funded by the Crookwell Breast Cancer Support Group and descendants, and will be built by the Men’s Shed.
Bessie Rabone was born in 1915 in Crookwell and was a member of the Cady family – whose members have lived in the Crookwell and Goulburn district for more than 150 years.
She was a legal secretary in town.
Mr Rabone was an accountant and came to Crookwell in 1937 for his first job after he completed training in Sydney with his father.
The two met unexpectedly on the tennis courts in Crookwell.
Daughter Wendy Gray said Bessie thought William “looked handsome” and the two instantly connected.
The pair were married in Goulburn and moved to Tumut.
Mr Rabone served in WWII for three years before he was injured and returned home. Other members of the family, including Bessie’s brothers, also enlisted.
Ms Gray said the family was instilled with community pride and always gave back.
“My grandfather, William Alexander Cady, was on the hospital board and owned a produce store. During the depression he would help farmers through the depression,” Ms Gray said.
“When we were children and he didn’t want the grandchildren to know where he was going, he said ‘I’m going up the river in a boat; shooting oysters with a sword’.
“By the time we had worked it out, he was gone!”
Both Bessie and William lived in Tumut for 40 years. She said the Shire “always needs mentors and leaders” and was very delighted with the council’s support.
Maureen Lynam, along with her husband Russell were also local identities in the town.
The couple opened the popular Lynam’s Restaurant in 1984 on Goulburn Street and also managed a small goods and delicatessen business.
In 2013, after close to 30 years, they sold the restaurant.
Mrs Lynam, who passed away last year, was engaged to Russell on her 21st birthday and loved playing hockey and tennis.
She was remembered for her cooking legacy and was a staunch supporter of the local Breast Cancer Support Group.
In an interview with The Gazette in 2013, shortly before the closure of Lynam’s Restaurant, she said that it was the people who motivated her.
“People would come in here because they knew every time they did they would be treated the same. People felt so very comfortable and I know for some it was like a refuge,” Maureen said of their business.
“I have met and got to know a lot of good people over the years. A lot of good friendships have been formed.”