My father had an interesting war. Although he had been a member of the volunteer light horse before the war, he joined the RAAF for pilot training. He was rejected as he was colour blind, then sent to train as a Norden bomb sight specialist. There he had to recognise 15 different coloured wires, but that didn't matter.

After training he was sent to Amberley as a typewriter mechanic, having rarely even touched one. After a while they realised a desperately needed bombsite specialist had disappeared & retrieved him.

He was never assigned to a squadron, but shipped all over the place to where his services were needed. He worked at most of the big airstrips in northern Oz, PNG & the Solomons, & finally Guam.

Air bases in PNG & the Solomons were dangerous places with lots of bombing, but he reckoned the most dangerous thing he did was being transported in DC3s & all sorts of bombers, flown by pilots of very doubtful ability.

At least he came back.

Do you remember "Bluey & Curley" Well, They were my Great Uncles. I said before Grandma was a Donald. The Donalds in Bowen owned the Bowen Paper.

The Three Uncles from Euri Creek joined up & because they had used all sorts of Farm Machinery they were in Engineers. They were sent to Port Morsby to extend & maintain the Runway for the Airforce.

One uncle was on his Dozed when an Air Raid came over. He climed under his Dozer. After the Bombing they found him under his Dozer but it had sunk in the mud from the vibrations & died.

The two other uncles, Bluey & Curley would wight back to the family & the letters were passed around & to the Bowen Newspaper. The Proof Reader was also a Cartoonist & would make a Cartoon out of their letters. That's how Bluey & Curley came to be.

The Cartoons were seen by the Oner of the Sydney Morning Herald & the man was hired as their Cartoonist. The Cartoons went really well untill the War ended & they went back to Euri Creek. After that their popularity declined.

Hi JayB,

"Bluey & Curley" like "Ginger Meggs" and "The Potts" along with a host of others are all part of Australia's folk history and are as just as impotent as 'The Man from Snowy River' and 'Dad and Dave'. You had some very interesting folk in your family, we all do, just got to dig them up. They may not have performed the deeds of kings and emperors but they are the people that have made the world what it is today, with all their small contributions.

Good Morning Hasbeen, Jayb, and Paul,

You guys have so much to share and your families
were the backbone of this country. I feel as if I've
gone back in time. The lockdown here in Victoria was
really beginning to get to me. I was starting to get
badly depressed - now with all your sharing of past
histories - it's opened up other worlds for me. Thank
You do very much. A great big hug to you all. I am grateful
that you've given us a glimpse into your backgrounds and
where you came from. It's truly great!