He spoke lovingly of those pigs & his dedication to a preganant sow seemed to exceed common sense when, as an amazed child, he told me how, he slept in the snow bound sty in below zero temperatures with his favourite pig, until all the piglets were born. His wife used to bring him hot tea to keep him warm. Well, it started out hot, but was rarely worthy of the title by the time it reached the sty. I dare say, he had first hand authority when he once referred to my bedroom as a 'pig sty'.
It may have been frost bite that finally drove him to imigrate to Australia with his first wife Joyce, where this budding country offered opportunites not always found in post war Europe. Although he always said, he only left England because, he couldn't bear the cold winters.
Although, I was given the impression both of them wanted a new start. This may have been the result of miscarriage when their first pregnancy resulted in the loss of twin boys & the news that they would not be able to have children. My father always spoke of it as a double loss for he felt that he was never able to alleviate the pain Joyce suffered. She had been involved in the medical field & the trialing of 'Tampons' & always worried that she had inadvertantly caused the medical problem that prompted the premature loss of the 'twins'. My father was more sanguine and accepted the 'meant to be' aspect & for all his life, Joyce remained 'queen' of his female ideals. I only remember her as the sender of lovely gifts from Canada where she had moved after remarrying a gentleman who was crippled in an automiblie accident they suffered in Fiji but, it left a lasting impression of endorsing my father's ideal. When in 1963, contact ceased, he refused to confirm the worst - for to him she would always be, with him. He kept her picture with him all his life. She truly was a beautiful image for him to remember.
He loved the stage & his time touring but, once again wanderlust took over & when he was told of the money to be made 'outback' he didn't hesitate to take a break from entertainment to go 'Kangaroo Hunting' back of Bourke.
His stories of his dogs; the netting of dams; his love of isolation; & how even when alone, he always set the table for dinner under the stars; were wonderful to hear. His sadest tale that hung with him was the death of his favourite dog 'Wolf' who in an effort to protect my father, was killed by a boxing Kangaroo. He kept a souveneir of 'Wolf' with him all his life & according to his wish it was buried with him.
Kangaroo hunting proved to be as lucrative as he was told & within a couple of years he had made enough money to invest in 'The Elizabeth Bay Boat Business'. At this point he started leading a rather high life. Wine; women; & song; were his major motivations, only eclipsed by the new love of his life - his boat, 'Bona'.