Peter and Kevin Lawn

 

Peter b: 7th June 1933

Kevin b: 28th November 1934

Peter and Kevin had spent a month’s holiday with their aunt Mrs Keleher  and cousins in Melbourne and were flying home to Kerang in anticipation of returning to school.  Their father Frank was the manager of the State Savings Bank in Kerang and had encouraged early financial independence in his boys – they had saved their pocket money to pay for this flight. 

Like many youngsters, they took an active part in Scouts, both being members of the 1st Kerang Cub Pack.  The troop paid tribute to their friends with condolence notices in the major daily papers.  

The Kerang New Times recorded details of the air crash and included this was more information about the boys:

Peter and Kevin Lawn, aged respectively 11 and 10 years were returning from a months holiday spent with an uncle and aunt in Melbourne. They had worked hard throughout the year for their holiday and had saved sufficient money to enable them to go by plane.  Both boys showed promise of a bright future.  They were full of boyish spirits, fond of sport of every description, and had showed outstanding ability in their school work.  Peter, who was the top boy in the State School last year, was to have gone on to High School, while Kevin had reached the top of his class. The flag at the State School was lowered to half-mast when the sad news became known.

……..

The teaching staff of Kerang State School paid a tribute to the sterling qualities of Peter and Kevin.  They were excellent pupils, and were outstanding in all branches of sport.  Peter excelled in swimming, and his brother at basketball.                                        

The Kerang New Times Friday 2 February 1945

In December of that year, the local school honoured the two boys with the presentation of the Lawn Memorial Prizes.  The prizes, in the form of “handsome books” were presented annually to the children who finished at the top of Grades V and VI.  The first of the prizes were awarded to Janet Munro (dux Grade VI) and Wilma Irish (dux Grade V). The headmaster, in his speech, described two quite dissimilar boys in that “Peter, the genius, inclined to be untidy as most clever people are; Kevin, diligent but meticulously tidy.” The prizes were awarded annually until the early 1960’s.

The local Church of England church (now St John’s Anglican Church) was the site where a Memorial Drinking Fountain erected in the boy’s memory was placed in the grounds. 

Peter and Kevin rest in perpetuity with their mother, Ethel Jean Lawn (nee Murray) at Springvale Botanical Cemetery.

LAWN. – On January 31 (result of air accident), Kevin, beloved second son of Frank and Ethel Lawn, of Kerang, and loved brother of Peter (deceased), Murray, and Bruce, aged 10 years. (Privately cremated.)

LAWN.-On January 31 (result of air accident). Peter, beloved eldest son of Frank and Ethel Lawn, of Kerang, and loved brother of Kevin (deceased), Murray, and Bruce aged 11 years. (Privately cremated.)

Family Notices (1945, February 3). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), p. 15. Retrieved January 22, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1099085

LAWN. — A tribute to the memory of our two faithful Cubs, Peter and Kevin Lawn, who were killed in the Airways plane crash on January 31. – From the 1st Kerang Scout Group.

Family Notices (1945, February 2). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 – 1954), p. 7. Retrieved January 22, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206866347 

Some of the information and images on this page have been provided by Murray Lawn and have been used with permission.