Dear Joshua,

We don’t know how to say goodbye when you leave us with such an abundance of goodness and happy memories. Your worth is way beyond our most far-reaching words.

You have been a wonderful, very loved, uplifting and completely trustworthy young Australian.
A Great-Great Grandson, Grandson, Son, Brother, Nephew, Uncle, Cousin, and friend. Your parents lived in Alice Springs for 40 years, and in 2009 you moved with your family to your Ebenezer Waters home in the Douglas-Daly near Darwin. Your Grandparents chose
to move to the NT in 1936.

Joshua lived in a dynamic Christian family and, gave witness to his personal decision to put his trust in Christ his saviour.

Josh loved every endeavour he approached. He attended Bradshaw Pre-school, Araluen Christian school, OLSH Senior High, The NT Open Education Centre. He studied Cert II and
Cert III in Agriculture at Taminmin High school in Darwin, and completed a course in refrigerated air-conditioning, as well as first year Electrician at CDU.

Joshua embraced an electrical apprenticeship to help his father and the family business rather than follow his desire for studying and gaining experience in agriculture.

Joshua played soccer during his school years in Alice Springs and his Grandparents, Gary and Marlene would take him and watch him play. He would often race off to Church after the game still in his soccer clothes.

Under the coaching of his uncle Paulo his team won several grand finals and many personal achievement awards including “Best and Fairest” and “Most Valuable Player” for the whole of the under 13 division. He usually scored the first goal and often scored 3–4 goals in any match. To make the game more competitive and exciting, Paulo would either move Josh to the back line or send him to the sidelines. If he was in the back line he always ended up in the strike position soon afterwards.

From an early age Joshua had a deep love for good music and played bass guitar for the Alice Springs community on many occasions, including Carols by Candlelight and at Aboriginal conventions. From the age of 12 he played the bass guitar in the Baptist Church worship band and was very involved in painting and wiring the new church building at Crispe street.

Mike wanted to give his family an opportunity to live the bush life and when Josh was thirteen a property was purchased on the Douglas Daly.The Farrell family started visiting the property later named “Ebenezer Waters” to build a place for the family to live and to prepare the land for agricultural production. The first camp was a bough shelter with very little comforts.

Joshua embraced this experience with joy and adventure, ignoring the snakes, mozzies, wet swags and oppressive weather. Up at Ebenezer Waters Josh was in his element and his true character and love for the land began to shine through.

During this time Joshua’s grandfather Merv visited the family on several occasions to help with the development of the property. Josh became very close to his grandfather as they shared a special connection to the land and to the top end. It was during this time his grandfather passed away and Josh helped to prepare a special place under an ironwood tree on the property for his grandfather to be laid to rest.

At the age of fifteen, Joshua and his family moved to Ebenezer Waters and lived in the shed they built during previous visits. Over this period Joshua started building the family homestead with his father and brothers. After a quick welding lesson from his dad, Josh just
went ahead and welded up all the roof trusses for the schoolroom and teachers accommodation.

Joshua relished the excitement brought by his new home on the Daly River. He quickly took on an earnest responsibility for the 2,500 acres of land, its vegetation, animals and development. He loved his neighbours with a passion and soaked up every possible piece of information from his mentors. He was a willing listener, a humble learner and quiet achiever, always attracting followers both young and old on his short journey through life.

His mum Debbie had a constant battle to keep Josh in the school-room. He often disappeared from the homestead and later Debbie would find out that he had been at the neighbors place talking over subjects of cattle, crops and machinery. He would often return home with a piece of AG equipment in tow after striking up an arrangement with a willing neighbour to get a job done. Whenever Josh borrowed anything he had already planned in his head how he would give back his time in payment. Josh left this world with no debts and no enemies.

All the neighbors loved Josh and soon he was offering his advice. On one occasion a neighbour asked his opinion on what tractor to buy and two days later a shiny new John Deere turned up next-door and you couldn’t wipe the smile of Josh’s face from the excitement that someone had trusted his recommendation for a purchase. Josh often helped his neighbors sometimes for days at a time and even if he was offered payment would rarely accept it.

At the age of sixteen Josh, Joanna and Jacob hand removed 30 hectares of old burnt out and half buried dripper line from a previous crop. He planted and harvested a hay crop all of his own initiative and thinking. All this work was done in Josh’s spare time before and after doing school of the air. I’m reliably informed Josh snuck away on more than one occasion during his school-work to get a bit more work done.

From the time Joshua started visiting the top end, his interest in cattle became immediately evident. His burning curiosity and willingness to learn from neighbors and publications and his continual talking on the subject convinced Mike to acquire a small herd so Josh could fulfil his passion for cattle management.

A book could be written on the character and achievements of this young troubadour.
There is so much positive to say and nothing negative.

Josh grabbed life with both hands and crammed in whatever was possible in the time available. His magnetic charisma drew in people from all walks and stages of life from babies, teenagers, men and grandfathers. That magnetism drew more than the odd young woman’s attention too.

He had a cheeky demeanour and lightning fast humour. His comedic comebacks would create a laugh and silence anyone trying to take the mickey out of him. He had a humorous way of imitating everyone in a way that did not demean them.

His prodigious capability was becoming legendary amongst his circle of relationships. Any task and skill requirement set before him was taken up as a challenge and conquered to a high level of precision. One experience was when Mike took James and Josh to an introductory flight when on holidays in Perth.

All three had a fly and within 15 minutes Josh had the helicopter hovering unassisted which usually takes many hours of experience to master. After landing the flight instructor walked away from the machine shaking his head in disbelief that Josh hadn’t had any previous lessons.

Joshua was cast in the mould of the quintessential Australian digger. He had the courage and conviction of those men of old, and like them would have stared down an enemies barrage and obeyed a command to advance despite the danger, he was fearless. He has restored faith in us all that those quality characteristics we all so admire and desperately need in this world are given to us from time to time in men like Joshua.

His resourcefulness and ability to quickly learn and adapt made him succeed in everything he laid his hand to. He wouldn’t accept bad workmanship and persevered until tasks were completed to high standards. If he could he would re-make things that were not just right.

He worked as hard as any man twice his age and experience. It wouldn’t even cross his mind to stop working if the temperature hit 50°C or the humidity was 100%. No matter the circumstance he wouldn’t complain so you could never know just how exhausted his body was. It was this work ethic that everyone recognised, especially managers and bosses who would regularly try to lure Josh and his brother James away from Mike with an attractive job offer. His loyalty was cherished by his Father and Mother.

His love of the Australian bush was complemented by his photographic memory for the lay of the land. He always knew where he was in the bush and could navigate anywhere on the ground or in the air. His mum Debbie said she always felt safe when Josh was with her especially when fishing by the river. No crocs stood a chance.

Joshua’s brothers and sisters all loved him deeply and have so many happy memories of their relationships.

James said he has never had a serious fight with Joshua except on one occasion when he head-locked Josh after he gave his Mother a mouthful of cheek.

James said he couldn’t have wished for a better bloke to work with and said “I don’t know how I will ever be able to work with anyone else”.

Joanna had a special relationship with Josh particularly when they were working with the cattle and horses and the rest of the animals, especially the dogs. Josh taught his sister many things and on his returns from AG school he quickly conveyed to her all he had learnt. He quickly taught Jo and Jacob how to drive the tractor so that he could achieve other things.

Josh was also a teacher to Jacob. Jacob would support Josh in many endeavours and adventures, and would always have the shed spotless and in order when the boys returned from work trips, only to get rewarded with a loving punch and teasing.

In the families sorrow they have drawn strength and courage from another Joshua who lived long ago. This Joshua was also a young man with great character who was given the responsibility to lead a whole nation into Gods promised place. Our Joshua displayed the same characteristics of obedience, courage and strength and we will always think of him when we read of the ancient Joshua’s life as recorded in the Bible.

Joshua 24:15

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

The things Josh loved and could do…

– He loved God, He loved his family, He loved the land & all its creatures, He loved working with his family, He loved listening & playing good music with meaning, He loved fishing, hunting, machinery, flying, motorbikes, guns, bows, boats, shanghais & pocket knives, He loved his neighbors, mates, friends & acquaintances, He could play, soccer, tennis, basketball & baseball, He could play the bass guitar, guitar, harmonica & sing, He could operate any machine,
build a fence, work cattle, butcher an animal, He could fly a plane and helicopter, He could fish like no other & fillet for eating, He could break & ride a horse, He could dream about what could be, and so will we…

What could a man like this achieve in a lifetime?

Often after a hard days work Josh would leave his work shirt on throw on his riding pants and boots, grab his bike and rod and enthusiastically go for a fish in the hope of bringing home dinner. Thank you Josh, your forever loving family xx