COMMITTEE

Dear Dig,

Bert Parsons, of whom we recently reported, is out of hospital and is now back with his family at Queanbeyan. Bert has not been well for some time and he is now trying to wangle some of his long service leave for a really good rest.

Mick Stone of Taree, is still above ground. He is a poor letter writer but we hear from other quarters that he is well.

Snowy Mason of Dundee is a busy man now that his little son has decided that walking is a lot more fun than just sitting around or crawling.

Harry Wilson of Collaroy, is well and sends his best wishes to all his old friends in the Unit.

Les Melrose's wife has just presented him with a new baby daughter, making a pigeon pair so far for them. Les' little boy is now 2½  years old.

Ernie Willis is awaiting the day when his two young sons are old enough to do a bit for old Dad and on that day he intends to retire to a deep armchair and rest for several years. Ernie keeps well but his wife has been in ill health now for more than a year. However, with Ernie around the house, we think that his wife would get the maximum help from that long streak. If he gets into too much trouble we can always call on Ellis and Pluis to help out again.

Keith Chapman is a Parking Policeman now so if you can find out where his beat is park your car there for a week if necessary. If he attempts to book you let us know and we will tear him to shreds through the Makan. Keith has had a lot of bad luck during the last few years but he seems to be getting out of the wood now.

Garry Rickwood is making a modest living these days although business is not as free as it was in Singapore, so much so that if the present trend keeps up he will simply HAVE to sell most of his cars and rub along with the old Rolls with perhaps the Bentley as a spare. Anyway, Garry has just returned from Europe with his wife and little son and his letter is so interesting that we will not mutilate but will give you most of it as we received it.

“I think I told you that I live in Caldecott Hill, as a matter of fact I own the house that used to be the Jap Guard house, you remember? It was next door to where old 'Jack' had his H.Q. Of course it is much more comfortable than during the old days.

A few months ago I returned from a six months tour of England and Europe. I took my wife and seven year old son and enjoyed it very much. I bought a new car to use on my holiday and toured all over England and Scotland. Then I flew ourselves and the car to France. It's a wonderful service, you just put the car on a Bristol Freighter at Lympe in England and within half an hour we had arrived in Le Tourquet and were on the road to Paris. The plane carries three cars and the passengers sit in the cabin at the back.

We spent a week and a small fortune in Paris and then drove across France to Geneva making several stops en route. We toured Switzerland for ten days, a wonderful country and then headed over the Alps to Austria. We crossed The Arlberg Pass and although it was summer the snow was banked four feet deep on the side of the road. It was beautiful.

We spent a week in the Austrian Tyrol at a lovely spot called Innsbruck then we headed north to Munich and Nuremburg, up to the border of the Russian Zone and then across to Frankfurt, up the Rhine to Bremen and Hamburg and on to Kiel. We then went back to Holland around the Zuyder Zee, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Ostend, all along the coast to Dunkirk, Calais and then to Le Tourquet where we took the plane back to England again. It was a marvellous look at Europe.

I enjoyed my stay in England very much. It's a lovely country and as I have a movie camera I took some wonderful, coloured pictures of my trip. As I had to get back to work I sent my family home by ship and I did a quick business trip back to Europe, followed on to Italy where I spent a couple of days in Milan then went to Rome and caught the Comet. It's a small world, on the Comet was Jimmy Gross whom you will remember as the little chap in the Singapore Volunteers who was with us on 'F' Force and was attached to us in the Gaol at the finish. He left Singapore a few years ago and was on his way East on a business trip.

When I was in London I met big MacDougal who now has a law practice in Temple Court. Needless to say when I called, big Mac took the day off and we became very much under the weather. In the course of the afternoon we got tangled up with one of Oswald Mosely’s fascist meetings and I hoofed the box from under him. It caused a bit of a rumpus and the Law arrived. Big Mac., being very full gave the police his card and also mine stating that he was my legal adviser. The Law, as always in London, was very polite and took the particulars. I awoke the next morning with a really classical headache and, avoiding Mac for a few days, I went to Europe on business without leaving him my address. You can imagine how delighted I was when I returned about two months later to find that Mac had been fined £2 and £2 costs and it was I who had caused it all. The big sod, however, had the last laugh as he blackmailed me and I had to take him and a mutual friend to lunch at the most expensive place that Mac could find and it cost me more than the £2. In fact it would have been far cheaper for me to have been fined. Give my kindest regards to my old friends, one gets right out of touch on this side of the world ....”

Well, that's Garry’s letter and we personally found it most interesting. That sort of life sounds like something from another world and would not be hard to take. Thank you for the letter Garry. Let us have a similar one on one of your trips to Indo-China or Japan.

These newsy letters are saving me, a lot of effort. Here is another one, which is so good that you should have it as it came. It is from Terry O'Rourke, who is a Forestry Officer at Griffith.

"...Things are much the same as usual up here. The summer is about finished and nights are now quite cool. Saturday week, we are leaving for a month's holiday in Sydney and Laurieton. I sure can do with it too as there is no Toohey's beer here, however, Richmond is served in our Club here and we make do with that.   

Bill Brown is still working for the P.M.G. and I see him every day or so. Over Xmas he fell down a ditch and broke his ankle - Oh he was quite sober - he must have been to get compo. I might add that the broken ankle did not interfere with his drinking. As a matter of fact I have a broken toe at the moment. Went for a swim in the new baths here several weeks ago and whilst admiring the scenery (?) which was stretched on the grass I kicked a piece of concrete. Before I had it x-rayed I walked miles in the forest grading logs, but after I knew it was broken of course I had to take it easy. I still play tennis here and am treasurer of the Town Club for the second term.

Bill Hodge, ex band, is our grocer and keeps good health. He recently applied for a liquor licence but was knocked back. Apparently the Judge thought he might close the shop and drink the profits. Bill is a table tennis fiend and plays in all the competitions. Frank Webb of Yenda has proved himself once again and is the proud father of twins - a boy and girl. I understand he collapsed under the strain and has to have a month or so off work. Our kids are O.K. usual wounds etc., Johnnie, 1 year and 9 months cut his big toe last Saturday and had seven stitches…”

Good for you Terry, that was a nice letter. We hope others will write letters in similar strain. That's all for this month, Gents.

Cheerio,

STAN ARNEIL

Please forward all cheques, money orders and postal notes to Reg Ellis at Boronia Park.

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