 He was educated at home by his mother under a big peppercorn tree, which still stands at Green Gully, Mount McDonald.Hailstone's parents were pioneers in the area, settling in the Woodstock district in the 1890s.Reg Hailstone was president of the Pastures Protection Board; a councilor and president of the Waugoola Shire Council; Chairman of the Wyangala National Park Trust; and actively involved in the Lachlan Valley Development League, as the representative of the Waugoola Shire Council.