Former Grenfell resident, Max Read, passed away peacefully on Saturday December 30, aged 86.
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For the past six years, Max had been a resident at Arcare Aged Care, in the Brisbane northern suburb of Taigum.
Max, born in 1937. was the eldest son of Ron and Myrtle Read (nee Holland) of 5 Young St.
Many of Max's relatives still reside in Grenfell and the wider district.
After finishing school in 1953, Max began work at the Grenfell branch of the Commonwealth Bank, later being transferred to Sydney and then Broken Hill.
It was at Broken Hill that Max began flying lessons, working towards his pilot's license.
After a further bank transfer back to Sydney, Max resigned from the bank to pursue a career as a commercial airline pilot.
Max joined Ansett airlines in 1962 and a few years later, Max and his growing family settled on an acreage in Brisbane's northern suburbs.
Max was a bee keeper and began the sport of orienteering, gaining many world class achievements.
He excelled in mapping - some of those maps can be found referenced in the National Library of Australia.
During his career with Ansett, he worked his way up through various aircraft, taking command of the Boeing 767 in 1988.
His Australian pilot's career came to a sudden and unexpected end with the political 1989 Australian pilot's dispute.
Heading overseas to find work, Max endured short stints in Kuwait and German, before moving to Hong Kong as a simulator flight instructor with Cathay Pacific Airlines from 1992 to 1996.
After retiring from the airline industry, Max moved back to rural life in Orange and established a vineyard, supplying grapes, and producing his own wine 'Snow Drop'.
At the age of 70, he enjoyed his second retirement and returned to Brisbane.
Max leaves his sister Nancy Irvin (Canberra) and his brother Dudley (Sunshine Coast), five adult children, Lance, Vicki, Dianne, Peter and Roger, five grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
