Lieutenant Commander Henry 'Nobby' Hall to be farewelled July 5

​The passing of Lieutenant Commander Henry “Nobby” Hall (ret) sparked huge community reaction

Hundreds of people packed into the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre on Wednesday, July 5 to celebrate the life of Lieutenant Commander Henry Albert Longdon Hall, MBE, OAM, RAN (ret).

The service marked the incredible life of the man known universally as Nobby, who passed away at home, surrounded by family on June 25, aged 95 and a half.

One of the area’s most enduring characters Nobby was one of the Shoalhaven’s most decorated ex-servicemen, serving 43 years in the navy, 20 of which were at sea, rising from the rank of ordinary seaman to Lieutenant Commander.

Legend is a work that is so often bandied about in today’s world but Henry ‘Nobby’ Hall was a legend with a capital L. As someone put it simply “we have lost a good man”, another simply described him as “a gentleman.”

In typical Nobby fashion, as he had in life, he had been meticulous with his funeral arrangements.

He even made an appearance, kicking off proceedings on a video, telling some of his early life and of course a legendary story or two.

While Nobby “lived and breathed navy” the overriding message to come from the service was the devotion and love of his family and in particular his daughters Gwyneth and Jenny.

There were family tributes from his daughters, grandchildren Lucy and Tim and his partner Joyce Hammond’s son-in-law Bob Hudson, where we were taken on a journey into the private life of Nobby Hall.

Of course there were numerous Nobby stories but also examples of how deeply he had influenced their lives and that of many in the wider Shoalhaven community.

How he earned the title of The Unsinkable Henry after one of his ships was torpedoed and two others were involved in collisions.

His great nephew Lieutenant Jake Hall RAN read the fitting poem The Measure of a Man, which summed up Nobby superbly.

Other tributes came from former Gilmore MP, Shoalhaven Mayor and now councillor Joanna Gash; former Commanding of the Fleet Air Arm Commodore Vince Di Pietro (ret);  Lauri Ball and Ian Collins from the Masonic Lodge Nowra;  former Shoalhaven High deputy principal John Dyball; and Tony Pulbrook spoke on behalf of the Currarong Bowling Club, where Nobby was a founding member and the club’s first secretary manager and long-time Anzac Day event organiser with Tony.

Mr Dyball spoke of his 35 years association with Nobby at Shoalhaven High where he had been made an honourary school captain.

“Nobby lived in a place, time and spirit we need to reflect upon and revere,” he said.

“A place in time of not just what you did but who you were. A place in time of deeds and actions.  A place in time of spirit, compassion, sacrifice, courage, honour and pride,” he said.

He told of a phone call 35 years ago to arrange an Anzac ceremony at the school “that would forever change my life and the of thousands of young people, teachers and parents and members of the community.”

“Our community didn’t just like Nobby, it loved him,” Mr Dyball said.

“His very existence made us better people. He gave every Anzac Day, school occasion or event an energy. An understanding, a generosity of spirit that reflected his life. Up beat, contagious, full of positivity, absolutely remarkable.

“He honored us all in the manner in which he lived his life - the way he dressed, dapper as always, the elegant way he spoke, Nobby had panache.”

Nowra RSL president Fred Dawson also presented Nobby’s long and distinguished military career.

There wouldn't be too many people in the local area who didn’t know Nobby.

His passion and drive were infectious, he was well spoken and well read - an extremely knowledgeable man. And he was willing to pass on that knowledge. But also a very respectful man. He was always dapperly dressed and right to the end, so importantly to him, wore his navy uniform with pride - it was always immaculate from top to toe.

Earlier in the day a navy service had been held at the chapel at HMAS Albatross, including a 21 gun salute and fly-over by Squirrel helicopters as the hearse moved away.

Former Albatross commanding officer Commodore Bob Morrison presented the eulogy outlying his incredible career, where he simply described Nobby as “a great man, with top shelf human qualities, integral to his make up”.

“Nobby served through times the likes of us have never seen or are unlikely to see. He served through the onset of the atomic bomb and nuclear weapons, through the missile age - tumultuous times,” he said.

Chief of Navy and long-time friend, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett recited the Navy Prayer.

Among his many honours Nobby was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his service as Beecroft Range manager in 1979, while in 2010 he was awarded the OAM for his service to veterans and their families through the Nowra-Greenwell Point RSL sub-branch.

RIP Nobby Hall.