I'm in Swan Hill. In a motel by myself. Its a little lonely but nice and quiet. I drove all day yesterdah to get to Mildura. I visited An elderly couple Bert and Shirley Penny and stayed with them last night. They were youth leaders in 1946 when Doug Twaits went there to be director of the Community Youth Group run by the council. Lovely people I felt totally comfortable. Went to Robinvale today. Met the daughter of Henry Buchhecker. Henry was Doug's best mate and was in the 2/7th batallion with him. Doug was captured by the Germans so was Henry but Henry escaped and his was helped by Cretians. He and two New Zealanders stole a fishing boat and rowed across the Mediterranean to Nth Africa. Doug was sent to Austria and was interred for nearly four years.
this is hard writing on my move phone.
Bye for now.
1 comment:
That's just like me. My friends can always tell when I'm in the car and trying to send emails on my phone. The auto check is just ridiculous sometimes! I'm sure it has nothing to do with my slow fat fingers! So were they really Cretians? I guess they must be, because if they were Cretans then they would have been too stupid to help. I've never had need to know what they are called really. I think I told you once that my old next door neighbour did a similar thing and escaped from the invading German troops on Crete in a fishing boat. I can't remember where the boat ended up but he walked for 3 months to Jordan. He spent the rest of the war in New Guinea and eventually kept Japanese prisoners of war and probably none too kindly after what he had been through in the jungle. He never talked about the war at all while his wife was alive but got blotto every Anzac Day and every Friday when he went to lunch with his old army mate. He had a lovely Japanese ink sketch framed on the wall which his prisoner personal aide had given him. So maybe he wasn't that harsh at all. There must be some fascinating stories never told out there.
I loved Robinvale. Just sitting and watching the river flow by was very theraputic. In fact, we had visitors last night and we finished the last of the Robinvale olives that I have been trying to keep for special occasions.
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