Brian and Fran Dawson repost

Hello and welcome to Casterton Connections. An initiative of Hands-Up Casterton where a group of enthusiastic locals have come together to capture, preserve and share stories of people who have a connection to Casterton. Today on Casterton Connections we welcome Fran and Brian Smoky Dawson. Their journey from the UK as 10-pound palms to Casterton with two young children was daunting and full of coincidences. Welcome Fran and Brian. Thank you. You journey together started about 1957. How did you meet? Through a friend of mine I was in the Army in Germany at the time. This mate of mine was engaged to Frank Cister and he knew Fran wasn't seeing anybody so he said to me, "Why don't you write to her?" Which I did do. That's how it started in 65 years later. Here we are. Still together. Must have been very good penmanship. If you'd have seen it you wouldn't have thought so. It took her a week to decipher what one leader was about. That's a bad my writing, it's Jesus. Oh dear. We got there. That's amazing. So you first met in 1957 and prior to that you're both born in the UK. What part of the UK, Fran? What for then, half a two? And Brian? London. Okay. And then you went to school? When I was a kid we moved down to Kent and we lived close close to Woolwich which was a main part of the London area that was during the war. Used to produce arms and that's where the Germans used to bomb every night. Okay. And there's quite howling, I suppose. Yeah. So you remember those times? Oh Jesus yeah. Yeah. The blitz and all that sort of stuff. I know. The very first bombing raid they done, we all lived in two story houses but they were commission homes. That's how they were built. And the first lot that came down when we got up in the morning from my mother's bedroom down to the lounge room, you could put your hand through the wall where it broke. Nope. And it stayed like that all through the wall. Wow. They said it wasn't worth mending, you know. It's going to happen again. All they done was to keep replacing windows. So it would have been tough times going to be enrashing all that sort of thing happening then? Oh yeah. Was there ever? Yeah. I don't ever remember seeing a piece of meat when I was a kid during the war. It was just nothing around. Oh, if there was you, you couldn't afford it. Yeah. But other food, my mother used to trade clothing rations for food rations from, well, we would call Yuppies now. You know, just man and wife. Yeah. They wanted clothes more than they wanted food. So. Yeah. And that's how we survived. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No. Tough harrowing times. Oh yeah. So you joined the army in the UK? Yeah. How old were you then? Eighteen. Okay. So straight out of school or? Oh, how long have I finished school when I was four days? Mm-hmm. Yeah. And, um, Jesus, what did I do? I worked on the farm first and then I worked for a scrap iron merchant going out and knocking down nissenhuts that people in London were living in during the war. And, of course, the war was they know of us. So we were knocking them down so that they could build proper houses. And that's what we were doing all the time there. And then from there, I went into the army. Okay. So at this stage, Fran, what were you up to? You had to be in a school. Yeah, we had a school. Yeah. We had, um, because we lived just outside London, we also got bombed, not a straight, but a straight behind us. And, uh, it just blew many windows out and shut us, even sealed my older sister out of bed. And all broken glass in the bedroom. And we could hear them doodle bugs because they made that noise. And then went quiet just before they were going to go. You never know where they were going to drop. Would have been just terrifying, especially as children too. Yeah. We had a railroad shelter in my garden, but I'll never remember going in it because we had to cover it under the stairs because we lived with my aunt Anne. And, um, we used to go in there just when they were, we heard the doodle bugs come in. I'll tell you a couple of funny stories about them. They built them, but they, what they done, they dug, oh no, two feet deep into the garden and cemented it. And then they put reinforced concrete over the top so that when the bombing come, you jumped in there and hopefully, I mean, it wouldn't have saved you, but, you know, it was better than nothing. But trouble was they built it, as I say, two feet down in the ground. So the bombing used to be most times at night time. So the saw would go off, but in the winter time, it'd go off in its pitch black and you'd write, well, my elder brother, he run out first and he jumped in there and he nearly drowned. It was full of water. That was funny. That was. And then another time the air raids went and we all let to go into the shelter. My dad picked up my eldest sister, put her on his back. He said, I'll take her first. Well, the shelter was only about from here to that front door away. So it wasn't that far. And he was gone and we said, what's going on here? And of course, a bomb went off and it all lit up and there's my dad, that bomb of the garden it messed him up on. Find his wife and sister on his back. That was funny. Yeah. And I think probably one of the funniest ones of the war was my dad used to do night work in Woolwich Arsenal. And this particular night, that bomb, and we was in the shelter. And it's still dark and there's terrorist houses they were. But that for the middle two, there was an alleyway and he covered in alleyway, coming from the front to the back. It's the only way you could get into the back. And we're in there and we could hear this clump, clump, clump. And my mother, if you knew her, you'd know. She screamed the Germans had come in. The Germans had come in. It was my dad coming up for me. Oh, you silly son. He said no. Oh, jeez. Oh, it was funny. It really was funny. I'm letting it all over again. So you joined the army when you were 18. Yeah. And you went to Germany. Oh, shit. It's Germany, yeah. Yeah. And to a place called Gosler up in my heart, mountains. And that was an army camp that nobody ever knew about during the war. And the Luftwaffe used to fly out from there. And nobody knew it till the war was over. That's where we were stationed. So this is in the 1950s after the post-war war, too. Yeah. So your job there, if you like, in the army was job. Now, what could you say my job was? I was in the infantry. So, you know, that's virtually what we don't. We don't border patrol. So between East and West. Oh, yeah. Yeah. There was a hundred mile border. And we had to patrol it twice a year, once in the summer, once in the winter. Well, it was others doing it, so it's us. That was what we had to do twice a year. And it wasn't the best really because you had the East Germans and Russians on that side, pulled along it. And they had, I don't know if you know, as Thompson's sub-machine gun, that the yank set had a big jig, you know, big barrel type. No, not that all, but told you ammunition. And I, these were probably rip offs of them because I couldn't see the yanks selling them to them. But they'd be walking there side the border with them aimed at us. And we had 303 rifles. And the magazine, we had to put in that pocket. We weren't allowed to have it any. We weren't allowed them. And on that way, they had to be our, to all tell us. So, you know, that's as stupid it was. But we done it. And I think there was two or three camps that we had to pull in too, because we done it on skewers during the winter. Yeah. And and marched it during this so much time. - So the camps that you talking about and you pulled into, what are they? - Huts. - Oh, yeah, yeah, they were. I think they probably belonged to farmers and they were rented out for when we needed them. And that's what we used. - Did you see a lot of the country, a lot of Germany or? - Yeah, 'cause I was stationed in Gosler for a close on a year, I think. And then that got closed down and we moved to Dortmund, which is a big industrial city and from there, we just moved all over the place, you know. - So that would have been the time, like the Berlin War obviously would have been up then, would it? - No, the Berlin War was never thought of then. - Oh, it wasn't, that was later, okay. - Very interesting. And what about you, Fran? What were you up to at this time while he was in Germany, writing those love letters? - Probably. (laughing) - I was just working on nothing that was exciting and all that. - I just, when I left school, I started work at a BAO, which was the British American optical company in Wartford. - Brian, you were telling me about your time in Germany and how you had to go to some of the concentration camps. - Not some, only one, that was Belgium. - We were made to go to that, to see what had happened, you know, what they had done. And it was like a fuck, well, it is a forest and there was just one track into the camp. But the areas thing about it was, you never heard one bird sing in anywhere, all the way through. - Wow. - And when we got there, went in and, yeah, it was a mess, but there was just big mounds about six of them. And I plucks on them and saying, here, I buried 30,000 Jews, killed by the murdering Nazis. And that's, you know, the chambers were there and everything, you know. Yeah, it was quite confronting. But, yeah, we had to, they said that was part of your job doing that because you had to see it all happened and boy, and who done it? - Yeah. - So, yeah, that was it, but yeah, I think I had a chance to go to another one, but no thanks. Well, I was enough. - Yeah. - Very harrowing for everyone, wasn't it? - It was. - And I think just before you change over, it's camp where we were in Gozler, there was a DP camp next to it. - DP was there. - Displaced persons? - Ah, yep. And this is 10 years after the war was finished and there's still 1,000 of them in there. - Wow. - Won any get out? - Yeah. - Mainly from where were they from? - They're from Poland and all around Europe. - Yeah. - They were taken as slave labor, but they had no paperwork. You know, they had no passports, no nothing. So, you know, they could say, I'm Polish, and I come to them so, but add your proof. So, they just kept them there. - Wow. - I wonder what happened to a lot of those people. - Whoa. - Don't know. - No, don't know. But I imagine that eventually, they all got out of there. But, I mean, that's 10 years later. That's, you know, that's bad. But, what do you do with it? I mean, that was only one camp. They must have been plenty more. - Yeah, of course. - You know, what do you do with all of them? - Wow. That's just another part of war here, perhaps we don't-- - That's another part of Hitler. - Yeah. - That's what it was. - And probably something we don't think about, perhaps as much as we should. - Well, if you haven't been involved in it, you really wouldn't think about it, 'cause you wouldn't know exactly what went on. So, it's hard. But yeah. - So, during this time, friend, you were sending these lovely, lovely letters to Brian. (laughing) And what were you at? What were you doing at that time? - Well, first half, I was working, like I said, at the BIO, a British American optical company. And then I wanted to do nursing, that's what I wanted to do. So, I did get into HW General, I was like more of a dead type nurse at the time. And then when Smoky was-- (laughing) - She doesn't know what to call me, because originally my parents named me Brian, but they never ever called me Brian. They only ever called me Mick. - Mick, okay. - Yeah. So, that's all friend ever knew me as, it's Mick. - Yep. - Until we come to Australia, and then it become Brian, Mick, Smoky, there was so many of them. (laughing) - We're good at nicknames, are we? - I'm sorry, Jesus. (laughing) - Yeah, sorry about that. - Yeah, so when it was nearly time for you to get involved, no, before that, I did. I went into HW General Hospital and started doing a bit of training and that, but when you come here, I just, I wasn't able to see him. - And you're done about a year didn't you? - About a year. - And love got in the way. - Yes. - Mmm. - Mick got in the way. (laughing) - But then when we come to Australia in the trans, I'm sorry, it's the trans that when we lived in Melbourne, they used to advertise if you wanted to do training, to be nurse or assist in nurse. And I thought, hmm, that would be good, but I didn't want to push it because I didn't know what I was going to do my two kids. - Yeah. - Because it involved the shift work and all that sort of thing. And at that time, the man's wage was more important than the woman's, so I just let it go. - It sounds like you really regret that. - I'm okay now, but I did for quite a while. Sort of regret that I didn't do my finished training in England, yeah. That's what happened sometimes. That's right, that's right. - So after Germany, Brian Mick Smoky. - Yeah. (laughing) - Where did you head to then? - We were shipped off to Malair on active service. - Mm-hmm. - That was the first time I had any money, 'cause we were on. - We got engaged just before you. - Oh yeah, I forgot that, jeez. - Oh, how could you think that? - I don't know. That was a funny thing, I must tell you about this. It was about a fortnight before I left for Malair, and we were in this little park near where she lived. And we were sitting in the park there, and I was just, I said, will you marry me? Do you know what her answer was? - What now? (laughing) - No, not now. (laughing) Talk about how I'm married, Joan. - Oh. - So you got the ring on the finger before you went away, just in case she was picked up by some other person. - Well, we'll never know, do you? - You don't. - And then you headed off to Malair. - Yep. - Because when I was in England and Germany, our wages were 30 bubble week, which is $3. But when you go on active service, it doubles, so I was on three quid a week, and I thought, was a millionaire. (laughing) I flew over at Vance Party, and that was to Singapore and now that was another thing. Back then, it wasn't Jets, it was, would they call them when they got the propellers? - Yeah, but it's something that Peter touched me out to me, but I couldn't pick up. (laughing) - It's a joke. (laughing) - Look, there's a plane though. - Turbo prop. Thanks, Peter. - Turbo prop. - Yeah, okay. - Yeah. - So it took a long time to fly over there, and we pulled down in India at three o'clock in the morning, and they said you can get off, and because they got a refueling. And as you went down the steps, I thought it was the heed from the engines. - I was. - Whoa, it was the heed from India. - Yeah. - And it was a walk, I suppose, two, three hundred yards. And I was soaked in sweat, but a time I got to the lounge room there, yeah. And yeah, anyway, we jumped back in when it was already in, flew off to Singapore, and Singapore, if you've been to Singapore, a lovely airport, isn't it? - Fabulous airport. - When I went, it was one runway, there was palm trees down both sides, and monkeys jumping from them. - Wow. - There you are, that was, yeah. That's what Singapore airport was when I pulled down there. - Yeah, it probably wasn't very big either, Singapore back then. - What? - It was in 1950. - That was back in the 50s, yeah. - Yeah, 50s, yeah. - So you arrived in Malaysia, and. - In the jungle, was jungle warfare, I presume? - Well, they were communists and they called it a police and job police and all right. - A police coping. - Yeah, there was a lot going on there. We had the gurgards with us. And the very first time I went in the jungle, like there was a ton of us, British soldiers going in and with the gurgards, and at night time, as soon as nightfall, she stopped because you'll get totally lost if you try. And I just put my ground sheet down 'cause I was absolutely ready to sleep. And I just laid on me, ground sheet, and the next thing I knew, I was floating. And I looked and there's four of these gurgards, got one corner each and they're lifting me and taking me. They put me down, they said, "You all right there, Johnny?" We look after you and they had a ring. They made a ring round us. They knew we'd never been in the jungle in Allies before. - No. - Yeah, they just, you'll be so good, mate. Straight to sleep. At night time, they could pick the enemy from the Allies by the way they placed us, they stopped. - Oh, yeah. - Okay. - So I think as we crossed, there as well, over. - Thank you. - And they said they used to pick them during the night time, and they had fantastic fighters. Here they are, yeah. - So while you were in Malaysia at that time, you come across some Australian New Zealand soldiers? - Come across 'em, fall 'em. - Yeah, we had a big punch up quite a few times down there. I was in a town called Epo, which was the biggest town there. The Australians were in a small town that was a sawmill town and they wanted our town. So obviously, punch up every time they met up, you know, and then I had to spend a week in their camp, I was driving an early Asian officer. And I'd stay there, so I'd put him in, and this guard sergeant said to me, "That's your basher over there, mate." You go in there and find your bed, right, oh. So, in I went and there was about ten beds down each side. And there was this one bloke, huge rape bloke. I don't mean big, but huge in size, like, yeah. - Tall, yeah. - Yeah, well built. And I went in, he's got this camera, and it's all in pieces, and he didn't look too happy. So I went in and I looked and I thought, "Oh, which beds mine?" So I said, "Excuse me, mate." I said, "Which beds mine?" And he went like, "Just pointing." You know, "Okay, well there's about 12 beds down there, mate. Which one is it?" So in the end, he said, "The third from the end, mate." Right, oh. Put me here on there, and I'll reckon within 10 minutes that we'll see his empty beer cans sitting, 'cause it's a tin basher that we was in, hitting the roof. And I come out, you probably bastard. "Oh geez, here we go." So anyway, went on for a little while and he's empty beer cans, 'cause the naphy, I didn't know at the time, was right at that chest at the bottom there. And this bloke was getting real mad because he was trying to cut and tie it on what he was doing and all this. In the end, he threw it a lot down. He said, "Come on," he said, "We're gonna go and have a drink." I said, "No, mate, you can't have one, I'll be all right." He said, "You'll come in with me and we're gonna have a drink." "Oh, well I'm not gonna argue with you here too, mate." So anyway, I go down to the naphy with him, over at the door, and he said, "Who wants him?" And this bloke jumped up, 'cause there was about 10 of them round around table and they were making a pyramid of empty beer cans. And this goat jumped up and said, "I'll have him." So he said, "Well, you have me first, and if there's anything left, you can have him." Well, he's bloke, just that straight back there again. And next thing I was sitting there with him and he'd never cost me a razo for a beer. I got full as a boot, but this bloke that jumped up the one it'll fight me on. Well, I'll have a word with him. And I found out he was a pump from Luton. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She said, "Well, I need to be a big boy." That was my introduction, but after that, I got on so well with him that, you know, I'll spend most of my time with him in the end. And when I come up for demo, the British army, I don't suppose wanted me, that all the boys said, "Why don't you join us?" 'Cause then you could sign on in Malau if you wanted to join another mob. So I wrote back to Fran, and I said, "The Australians have asked me to join them." So I got a letter back from it. So if you do, don't bother coming home again. (laughing) I thought, "Gee's, I better go home." Yeah, that was it. So were you married at this stage or something? No, no, we engaged. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you went back to the UK and then got married? Yeah, in the UK, yep, yep. And I always wanted to come out. So it took me years to talk Fran into it. And then when I did, we done everything signed up, paid the 10 pound, had immunizations and that, and then she changed to mine. (laughing) And so we've flown up or wrote, I'll forget what it was to the Australia House in London and said, "That's it, we're not going." But then after about a fortnight, she knew I really wanted to come so she changed to mine. So we got in touch with them and they gave us a fortnight. She said, "That's your flight, then no change in the mine." So we had to try and sell everything in a fortnight and get on this plane and get out of here. We done it, though, didn't we? It would have been really difficult for you, Fran, to leave family and so for all both of you. And you also had two young children, a five-year-old and a two-year-old. So it's a pretty amazing effort to actually even consider it. That's right. Yeah, so you did, well, and we're very grateful that you did decide to come. (laughing) Thanks a lot, nice. (laughing) Okay, so. We're going to become one. Yeah, so, Brian, you were telling me that when you landed in Australia, you had 30 quid, was it in your pocket? 30 quid and two kids and a wife. Yeah, and. Not in that order, I hope. No, thank you. What I didn't tell you was that when we came out, was it in January, February? February. It was stinking hot. We'd flown into New York to. That was our first op. And we had to stay there for about four hours. They were shoveling all the snow out to, so that planes could take off. And we landed in Sydney, because Talhamryne wasn't finished. They were still building it. And then we caught the plane from there to Estadon Airport. And that's where we came into Melbourne. So what made you decide on Melbourne in particular? The mate of mine, who worked with me in England in printing, he'd come out with his wife and kids, and he'd live in him co-berg. So he asked us. I said to him, "I want to go out there." And he said, "Well, if you don't," he said, "You can live with us until you find yourself at the place." So was that the Welshman? No, no, no, no, no, no. This was another bloke. And so you'd lived with these in. With this family in co-berg for six weeks. And we found a house in co-berg, wasn't it? Well, that one, more than naturally. More than just the end of the hangar. But this house hadn't been lived in, I don't think, for quite a long time. And when we got in there, the damn place was moving with mice. So, we made that a cat who'd had kittens. So we took one of the kittens. And I tell you what, it didn't take him long to clean the place up. He cleaned them right out. So we was there for two over 18 months, 18 months. And then we bought an adult house built in Canberfield and moved to there once it was all finished. So at this time, you were both working? Oh, yeah, yeah. Karen, your oldest daughter was in school. And Gary was in Kinder. Was in Kinder, okay. So you were working, what were you doing with your work? I was printing milk, you know, your milk cans. Well, we were the first in Victoria's to print them. Wow, yeah, and we were using Eva's machines, which are a marathon, and Frank Eva's the bloke that owned it, he came over and showed us what was with them because we had three print machines of his huge great things I mean he took us out to lunch and I mean he was real young, it looked after us all right, and Fran you were working for Repco at the time? Yeah, down in Brunswick So it would have been a busy life for you, you know young mum, two kids. The hardest part I found Well first of all was taking away to Kinder, it didn't like, you know, to start with it like it but the hardest part of that was that I couldn't drive then and we could only forward one car anyway So I had to, I had made friends with a lady who used to take Karen into school for me and pick her up and keep her till I got home about quarter past four and but what I had to do was I had to take Karen down to Inga, that's the lady's line and then I used to have to go to the tram stop, which was a little way up Sydney Road and get on a tram and take, get off at the top of Sydney Road, take going into the Kinder and then I had to retrace my steps, get another tram back down, right through to Brunswick and then there was the road, remember the name of the road now, I used to have to run, literally run all the way down that road every day, I worked good for five days a week and so I could clock in at eight o'clock. Wow, that's a big effort. Yeah, big effort. So Karen was at school and this is where the first casted and connection happened, wasn't it? Yeah, that's right, yeah. Not in Melbourne, no. Yeah, when you said CAMBA Field, that was CAMBA Field, don't you want that? Well, that's Melbourne. Yeah, but it's a bit completely different place. No, area I'm talking about. Yeah, yeah, when we moved to our house we had Bill, that's when we found out that Mickey Marl was headmaster, wasn't it? It was called Karen, he went to, it was really weird. Yeah, so Mickey is who is a local casted and identity? There you go, so that was the first casted and connection and then you built the house and then how did you meet Ernie? I've no friends with me so I worked at Repco Danny Brunswick. Okay, so these were people that lived in Melbourne at the time. So what made you decide to actually come to casted it? Oh Ernie Jones made our minds up for us, didn't he? So Ernie just elaborated a little bit on who he was. Yeah, he was a chauffer for the PMG at the time and two or three times a year they had to come through casted and so they stopped at Mickey Murls and stayed there the night. Coincidence? Yeah, that very much so, yeah. And second of the third time I suppose Ernie said you want to go up to Castan, he said I reckon that's where you want to live. Oh yeah, where is it? Is it up in the Western District? Yeah, okay, so anyway it's not about it two or three times. So we had holidays come in so I said the friend will go up and have a look at this place. So we came up and we got to the cutting and I said is that it? Just in fewer hours before it and she said I mean just keep going, there might be some all of them. And of course when we went right through the cutting there's the town so and yeah, we're just spelling love with it. And while we was up, Jackson Halle, do you remember Jackson Halle? Yeah, he was a local real estate agent. Yeah, we went and had a word and then he said you're thinking of coming up here to live. Yeah, so he said I've got a house you can look at. Okay, so he took us around to Pat Tansys, where we're Patten, Gloria were living at the time in McPherson Street next to the New South Wales Bank and like New South Wales Bank then the house and then you had Jeffries. Cordial factory. It just been done up, I bloated you know very well, done it up. My father-in-law. Yeah, he'd done it up and yeah Gloria was home, Pat wasn't and we had a look around, didn't we? And then we had a cup of coffee with her and chat and well we were chatting Pat Cain, it introduced himself and he said have you seen much of Castan? Yeah, the main road and this house. So he said well come on he said I'll take you for a drive around and he'll show you all the different places which you did didn't and we loved it so we went back and I've got out of a state agent and said we want to sell our place and move up. So we sold it within two weeks and so within a month of coming up here we were living here. Wow, that's our quick hit. Well, yeah. So your first job also bought your nickname at Smoky from your lifelong friend Ray Khan, that's right. Yeah, so your first job, would you tell us about that? Yeah, that was, I was on the red screen, you know, government comment red screen for I think it was 20 weeks or something like that. Well, there was a book. So what was the work involved with that? That was. That lands did hardly. Yeah, yeah, it was the land department but you had so many different jobs. We were getting rid of rabbits, cutting down a kosher, clearing it, all that sort of stuff. Yeah, Sprite, uh, Sprite weed, Sprite and all that sort of stuff. So general land care. Yeah, basically. Planned cricket in between. Planned cricket. Yeah, that's what it was going to throw on and say once you got involved at a barbecue, then you could cook. Yeah, we used to have a barbecue. There was Les Jenkins, I don't know if you remember Les Jenkins. He was from Garibault, Peter Martin, Gary Smith, Gary Smith and me self. We were the gang and we sent out Riot Sanders out to where we wanted us to go and we had down a six-chain road this particular day, doing a cutting down a kosher and come lunch to them. We got the barbecue coming. We always went into McKenzie's butcher and got what we wanted for lunch, come lunch to them. Gary Smith had always had at least two ducks as well as he's Malik, he was and he did that the way. And then we had a couple of hours of cricket after that and one of us had just keep our eye open to see if Ryan was coming. It was good. We had some fun. But on the way out, we was in Leslie's car. He had a bigger yank tank at the time. I think it was nine o'clock in the morning. There was this series on on the road. So we used to put it on the side of the road. It's only on for a quarter of an hour, so we used to listen to this. It was funny that we had a good time. It was one of the best times of our life on there. But we really had it. So that lasted 10 weeks? Yeah, that was 10 weeks and after that, Doug Colter said to me, he said, "Would you be interested in running us a shop?" I said, "Well, I've never done it, but I'll ever go at it." So he said, "Leave it with me, I'll go." George Taylor's a mate of mine, so I've got to have a word with him. Yeah, they used to brace motorbikes together. Wow. Yeah. And so the next thing, I know George had phoned me up and said, "I'll come down and interview you." And he'd come down home and he said, "We're right. Be at my place Monday morning. You spend a fortnight in Hornable, living in from two of the stores there, and then you take over cast it and store." So yep, I'd done that. So in the George Taylor store, there was what is it? A general store with hardware and one of the things that you just said, "Dispose or store." Yeah, but it adept. Everything you could think of. Yeah, it was just a store that everybody in town used to love going into. You know, it just adept everything you wanted. And I suppose being most of it being I'm being disposed. him. It was much cheaper than anywhere else. That was the idea of it. I would imagine anyway. I worked for him for 10 years and then he had cancer and he was advised to get rid of him and take things easy. So he sold the stores to each other, the managers. We all bought a store and took it from there. I suppose we had it for 20 years and we could be there until in the end and the doctors told me that I got already to work. So Fran, you're an integral part of the business as well and you both became very respected business people in the town. I can remember going in there myself and it was just one of those places where no matter you knew where everything was, you guys did, and you just always find what you wanted. I'm sure there would have been times in the store where it was a bit frustrating with certain customers and I'm sure there's some funny stories come out of there as well. You don't have to name names. Just tell the one about me. No, you don't have to name it. This wasn't funny. It was one of them things that I don't like but it happened. This young fella came in and he's looking around and we was in the office having a cup of coffee and it was on a Friday, Joe Blacker, he used to come in from Durgan and he used to spend the day with us and he'd even go and do our banking for us, you know, if we were busy. And anyway, we're having a cup of coffee in this young fella. Next thing Joe said to me, he's just taking a knife, a sheath knife. Are you sure? So he's gone out the door. So anyway, I went out to the door and this young fella is walking down and he's trying to put this sheath knife into his backpack. I said, do we come here? Put it back where you got it from and get out and don't ever come back. Well, I mean, he was scared stiff but I don't think you ever done it again. You know, he got caught and that was it. And he turned out to be a really good kid. Well, man now. So just one minute of stupidity and it could have cost him because, you know, if I'd called the police he'd have had a record. So after many years, over 20 years, managing the place you just mentioned before that you became ill and were advised to slow down, et cetera. So how was that transition for you from leaving work for both of you really? Well, I suppose in a way, I suppose it was the best thing we've ever done because while we ran on the place and ran it, you know, very, very good. And he holidays because, you know, so one person business, two person business. So you can't afford to be paying out. Wages and taking your own wages from it. So, you know, it turned out that when we sold it, we had time on our hands and we just travelled and we went overseas and we've been all around Australia. And we still are, you know, when we can move, getting a bit old in the turn now. We used to drive up to Queensland every year to visit family. Yeah. And we don't do that anymore. It's too much. So one of the interesting things I found that you were saying how you didn't really want to come out to Australia and that, you know, because you'd miss family, but a lot of your family luck following you anyway. Yes. Yeah. I'll come from big families. I'm as Nick. Nick? Nick Brian Smoky. Yeah. So, yes, quite a few of mine did come out. I'd brother and his wife, a little boy, where son I just Gary was, came out about six weeks after us. And then Richard, my brother Richard, he's a twin, but the other one is his brother, stayed in England. Then your mother and father came out? Yeah, my mom and dad come out and stayed. I lived in Casterdon. They lived in Casterdon. They mostly met one for a few years and then come to Casterdon. A little house down in. It was straight used to be, can you remember his name? No, no. No, no. No, no, no. Yeah. And then Jim is self, my sister, older sister and her husband and two daughters came out. So, you've definitely added to population of Australia and testing. You became really ingrained in the community with the kids playing a lot of sport and stuff. And Brian, you were very much involved with the lodge and the RSL. Well, still. I am with the lodge. I don't do much at all in the RSL now. It's, I don't know, I'm just too old and tired, I think, now. We know, do we? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. We've got the flags up every AMSAC day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, that's lovely. So, you know, you've become ingrained in the community and also you've offered the community so much in your lifetime here, in your time here. Just to finish off, I just asked you one question each and each can answer, but does Casterdon mean to you? Well, oh, that's the first, if you like. When I was talking to you, well, we were talking to you before. Casterdon is like when we go away to Melbourne or Ballarat or even Hamilton. And then we come home, you come over the hill and you're down and you see the town. And every day we do it, we say home, sweet home. That's beautiful. We do it, yeah. We've met a lot of lovely people, made some really good friends. We would never leave you there. You know, I was telling you the other day that, you know, people have said to us, you kids have moved, are you going to follow them? Why will we follow them? This is our home, you know? So, no, if kids want to see us, they can come and see us. Well, we can go down and see them, but we're not moving from here to hold down anyway. I joined and was a member of the CWB for about 25 years at office there, a couple of times, and joined, well, went to the Anglican Church and went on to their committee. Like, like, ladies or auxiliary. Yeah, that's not the Anglican Church. And, yeah, done to a office there. And, technically, to a office there, yeah, so. You've been wonderful contributors. Now, to the high school on the mills, you know, for their kids, when they were little. You've been wonderful contributors to our community. And I'd just like to thank you for telling us your story today. Thank you. Thank you very much. We've enjoyed it. We hope you've enjoyed today's episode of one of our homegrown heroes. Jump over to one of our other episodes to continue the casted and connections journey with us. Please don't forget to follow our podcast and share it with your family and friends. Thank you for listening.