WEBVTT

00:01:14.160 --> 00:01:17.220
Now, what gave you the idea for this 12-month tour of Australia?

00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:22.360
First of all, I might say that Australia,

00:01:22.700 --> 00:01:24.820
visiting Australia for an extended period of time,

00:01:24.820 --> 00:01:28.580
has been, because my wife is previously Australian,

00:01:28.880 --> 00:01:32.420
has been one of our long-cherished dreams, you might say,

00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:37.940
foremost in our plans, after retirement, of course, after I retired.

00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:40.380
Now, what are you retiring from?

00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:42.520
U.S. Navy, 30 years.

00:01:43.100 --> 00:01:46.440
And you reached the position of commanding?

00:01:46.620 --> 00:01:50.680
Well, we call it three-strapper in American Navy lingo.

00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:55.460
It's called, it is, formally it's a commander, but we call it three-strapper.

00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:58.000
And how did you meet, or where did you meet your wife?

00:01:58.900 --> 00:02:05.000
At the U.S. Naval Arts' BOQ Club over in Fremantle.

00:02:05.380 --> 00:02:07.380
And she's a war bride, and you took her back to the States?

00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:09.660
She's a war bride, if you want to call her that.

00:02:09.760 --> 00:02:11.580
She's one of Australia's most beautiful.

00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:16.020
And has she been back to Australia since you took her over?

00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:16.860
Yes, yes, fortunately.

00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:26.760
Carol came over here and visited in 1956 for a very short period.

00:02:28.460 --> 00:02:31.140
And it was unfortunate at that time that I couldn't come,

00:02:31.260 --> 00:02:34.300
but I wanted to stay more than six weeks.

00:02:34.300 --> 00:02:37.140
I wanted to stay at least a year, a minimum of a year.

00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:39.380
So you're going to get around and see a lot of Australia?

00:02:39.540 --> 00:02:40.480
I'm going to see it all.

00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:42.360
Now, I gather by the equipment you brought,

00:02:42.480 --> 00:02:44.560
you're really going to be seeing it in style.

00:02:45.900 --> 00:02:48.000
I came prepared, if you want to put it that way.

00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:51.800
May I show you some of this, John?

00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:52.300
All right, go ahead.

00:02:55.480 --> 00:02:59.420
Well, in this gray box back here,

00:02:59.420 --> 00:03:02.620
it contains all my sporting equipment,

00:03:02.780 --> 00:03:05.840
my guns and fish and tackle and all that stuff.

00:03:07.320 --> 00:03:10.960
But in order to keep me in touch with all those old friends

00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:11.960
that I've made down here,

00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:15.980
I've also brought along my amateur transmitter-receiver equipment.

00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:17.960
It doesn't look terribly amateur to me.

00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:23.840
Well, that is a connotation born out of the old spirit

00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:27.220
of the amateur radio experimenter.

00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:29.200
Really and truly, I agree with you,

00:03:29.260 --> 00:03:32.920
but it'll still turn amateur radio equipment.

00:03:32.920 --> 00:03:34.920
No.