Vale: Douglas Vernon Mendoza

27 May 2016 11:25 AMMichael Hart

Queensland Parliament Hansard Green
DATE: 26/05/2016
FILE: 26052016_001044_LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY_GREEN CHAMBER.DOCX
SUBJECT: Mendoza, Mr D
MEMBER: Mr HART
Mendoza, Mr D
Mr HART (Burleigh—LNP) (6.41 pm): Burleigh Heads Rotary Club, of which I am a member, meets every Thursday morning at seven o’clock at the Burleigh Heads Surf Club. This week we lost one of the doyens of our club, Douglas Vernon Mendoza. Doug was a little bit hard of hearing—that is what happens when you are 92 years old—a little bit gruff and a little bit short, but we all loved him.
Doug had an interesting life. Many of us were pleased to be part of that life over the years we knew him from attending Rotary. Doug joined Queensland railways at 14 years of age. He worked his way up from shunting engines. He worked so hard that they promoted him to the railway office. They encouraged him to study engineering and he eventually got a degree in engineering. He worked his way up the corporate ladder and eventually became the commissioner of Queensland Rail—the top dog in Queensland Rail. He occupied that position from 1983 to 1986. In 1990 that position was moved on, but Doug was at the top of his game in those years.
Doug was involved in Rotary for 51 years. He was in the West Toowoomba branch of Rotary from 1965 to 1975, he was in Brisbane from 1975 to 1990 and he spent the rest of his time in Burleigh Heads Rotary Club. There is a wide range of ages at our club—from Doug, who was about the oldest, to babies who come to our club of a Thursday morning to enjoy breakfast with their parents. Those children will miss Doug. We will all miss Doug. He was a wonderful man.