The outdoor gathering was a happy occasion made even more special with the surprise arrival of his granddaughter Phillipa from England.

Joe and his wife Rita built their home in Beulah Street in 1958, and it has been the centre of family activities for the past six decades.

Joseph Richard Henry was born at Kempsey on December 17, 1927, a few months after the arrival of David Gordon Kirkpatrick who would literally put his hometown on the map as country music singer Slim Dusty.

Joe remembers Slim singing over the airwaves of 2KY with Shorty Ranger and being outfitted at Stan Brown’s Menswear where Joe started work at the end of the war.

Young Joseph was the fourth child of three boys and four girls born to Richard and Rosetta Mary Henry. He was named after his paternal grandfather, known as Gentleman Joe, who worked a horse team and helped pioneer many roads in the Upper Macleay.

Joe’s father Richard was put to work as a young fellow learning the art of road making and it was this experience that secured him a job as an overseer with Kempsey Municipal Council.

During the war years, his father served in the Civil Construction Corps in North Queensland, building roads and airstrips, while his two older brothers Leo and Bernard and his sister Margaret served in the RAAF. With his mother left behind to care for Joe and his three younger sisters, Rita, Mary and Theresa, the teenager became her “right-hand-man”.

Joe began his education at St Joseph’s Primary School where he was taught by the Sisters of Mercy using slate and slate pencils.

He especially remembers Sister Mary de Salle, who introduced her charges to rugby league. Joe recalled that Sr de Salle came from a very sporty family. Her brother Jack Maroney, a slow-scoring batsman, went on to represent Australia in seven Tests from 1949 to 1951.

Joe played on the wing for his rugby league team in Kempsey and represented Group 3, reaching the finals for trials when the English team toured Australia.

He played for a single season in Gunnedah but his employer was not too keen on his store manager playing a contact sport. In later years Joe took up the more sedate sport of lawn bowls.

Joe completed his Intermediate Certificate at St Philomena’s and began his career in the menswear trade under the guidance of Stan Brown.

In 1952, he was transferred to the Gunnedah branch to manage the store in Conadilly Street. Joe recalls the boom times in the 1950s when their trade was very brisk. The shop eventually moved across the road after Stan Brown had a new building constructed by local builder Frank Tydd.

During his time in Gunnedah, Joe met the love of his life Rita McCann at a local dance but their courtship was interrupted when Joe was transferred back to Kempsey to replace Alan Pickham. The couple eventually tied the knot at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, on April 30, 1955, the year of record floods in Gunnedah.

They spent their honeymoon at Southport and began their married life at Kempsey, where their first child Paul was born in 1956. They came back to Gunnedah soon after and moved into their new home when their son John was two months old.

Joe and Rita welcomed their daughter Anne in 1960 and their family was complete with the birth of Andrew in 1966.

During the busy years of raising their family, Joe became involved with St Xavier’s school and received a certificate of appreciation for service on the board of St Mary’s College from 1996-2003.

He was also involved in St Joseph’s Parish, serving on the parish council and helping to set up the planned giving program where parishioners contribute to the upkeep of the two schools.

Junior soccer and tennis also attracted his support as the Henry children mastered skills in these sports.

Joe was a member of Apex when the service club completed the winding road to the top of Porcupine Lookout. He was also a registered Justice of the Peace for 50 years.

When Anne enrolled at university in Sydney, Rita joined Joe at the menswear store, which had by then been taken over by Assefs. They worked side-by-side until retirement around 30 years ago.

With their children scattered and making their own way in life, the Henrys visited many new places and delighted in the arrival of 10 grandchildren.

Their son Paul and his wife Gabrielle live in Inverell, John and Sue Henry have remained in Gunnedah, while work has taken Anne and her husband Peter Carberry to Hyderabad, India. Andrew and Joanne Henry live in Singleton.

Looking back, Joe has seen many changes over the past 90 years. He is immensely proud of his offspring and their achievements and watches with great pride as their grandchildren step out into the world.