Let’s talk about dad’s early days ... So the story goes dad and Frank were both rascals and mischief wasn’t far from them at any one time..... When uncle Frank left school his first job was as an apprentice electrician. Anyway tax time came around and uncle Frank got a call from the ATO and they said uncle Frank hadn’t paid enough tax.... Frank was a bit perplexed because he was sure he had......

Hello friends and family of Adrian. I’m Damian, Adrian’s youngest son & the member of the family least likely to require counselling after a public speaking engagement. I did contemplate turning up this morning and feigning laryngitis just to see their eyes widen … [feigning raspy voice] … ’Sorry, can’t do it guys … one of you will have to step up … Chris where are you going? … Michelle, Net … Paul? … Why are you lying down? Dad wasn’t really an animal person although we must’ve worn him down at some point in the mid 70’s because he agreed to a family cat, Whiskers. Whiks was supposed to be an outside cat, but Mum and I had a pretty loose interpretation of outside, particularly in winter. So, our evening routine would be: dinner on the stove, the pair of us seated on the couch with Whiskers asleep on our laps, Dr Who on the telly. At the sound of the key in the front door I’d leap up, race to the sliding doors and toss the cat out then act like nothing happened. Whiskers would still be airborne when Dad put his keys down on the Laminex bench. He was always onto us though – maybe it was the fresh claw marks in my forearms. Dad never said anything, although he would level an occasional frown of disappointment at us both. (Mum and I tended gang up on Dad). It was a good thing when Em finally came along – she tended to take his side which evened the ledger.I guess the deal was sealed and “the curse” had worked and Dad and Mum were married in February 1952, two years after they were married, on February 17th 1954 my brother Craig was born....i assume that in the following years Dad was on the road a lot because it wasn’t until the 8th of March (International Womens Day) that the looker of the family... me!! …was born. It's the same in pubs. Even when one of them gets up to go for a piss, the others all automatically womble off after them. Because he was there, we raised a great deal of money, and I was able to use it to endow the university in Jerusalem with something that I told him about. And it was something he loved the theory of and it thrives to this day. It’s called Peace Through the Performing Arts. It’s a theater group where Israeli, Arab and Palestinian actors, writers and directors all work together in peace, creating original works of art. And that doesn’t happen without him.

My friends, only once in a thousand years or so do we get to hear a Mozart, or see a Picasso, read a Shakespeare. Ali was one of them, and yet at his heart, he was still a kid from Louisville who ran with the gods and walked with the crippled and smiled at the foolishness of it all. He is gone, but he will never die. Paul was very amusing about all this but as he said, 'at this stage I believe in nothing and everything'. Alan : Shi t! Sorry. Did you get that by hanging round stables? You know, you do seem quite posh. I can imagine you in willies and one of those sleeveless anoraks. Alan: Probably best if I come and see you, actually. Yeah. We’ll set up a signaling system. If you see a bottle of ketchup in the kitchen window, it means “Let’s make love”. “I’m feeling saucy”. She would have then gone through the heaven gold book and pulled out any vouchers that members of the family could use.Alan : Gordon? I hope he’s not doing the dunking. I wouldn’t like to be dunked by a retired policeman. Because when you came up he’d probably go “Where’s the money?” I’d say “I don’t know, I’m just being baptised” “Down you go again”. Dad’s fabric is sewn into all of us and we will carry that forward until our time comes to hand it on in our memories. I loved this quote that someone sent me: “active memories in the lives and minds of others reflects the true greatness of a worthy soul”

Lynn : Right. I’ve got you that “Bad Slags” book you asked for. And also, do you still want to do the radio show since all your books are being incinerated?I remember Dzia Dzia's retirement party when I was about 7 years old. When the then state minister for education Tom Roper gave a speech I realised the Dzia Dzia must've been pretty important. Then growing up, hearing the stories and reading his book, I came to learn what a brave man he was, considered a hero by many. 12 years ago, at the age of 82, he was proof reading my masters thesis and advising me on some pretty hard-core statistical analysis, I really became aware of what a sharp and intelligent guy he was. Adrian went by many names … ‘Stringer’ … for which no satisfying explanation was ever been proferred. He was dubbed Adey Babe by dear family friend Jeanie P and he never lost that moniker, did you Adey Babe? He occasionally got Hadrian as in the wall; Hiraji as in 1948 Melbourne cup Winner … & Age, as in the declining Fairfax newspaper. I spent so much time with Father Bob over 20 years, I feel I can auto-generate an A.I. chat between him and me, regarding today. Something about Groucho Marx, and Errol loved Groucho Marx. He said in his letter of resignation to the golf club that “I couldn’t imagine being a member of any club that would accept me!” That was a bit like Beau.

Not that long ago: second half of the last decade. Come on, Playboy Bunnies on a New Year’s Eve show? My name is Damian and I’m the youngest of Kathleen & Adrian’s Famous 5, though they are still yet to provide photographic evidence that would contradict rumours I’m adopted. Making me the Timmy of the Famous 5 … That’s the rest of the family down there … put your hands up … in laws & Bernie … grand kids … great grand kids … cousins … and if there are any illegitimate offspring out there, today’s probably not a good day to bring it up … I’ll introduce to the rest of the band … Aunty Dorothy on keys … Chris on guitar … and David on computer. When dad retired mum and he started a very happy phase of their lives together but the School Principal in him was slow to recede and from week one they would schedule weekly ‘Staff Meetings’ of a Monday morning. This sounds like I am making this up but I’m not. On the agenda would be items for discussion such as medical appointments, correspondence to be written, dinner parties to arrange, should we put a phone in the toilet … Lynn : Right, I’ve nearly moved everything into the house. Oh, that’s for you Our family had many holidays, none more famous than the trip to Townsville to stay with the Dorney’s, most of whom have made the trek to be here today. 5 kids in a Holden station wagon for 2500 kilometres. I was only 3 at the time but I can remember some things. It’s funny when you are the youngest by some distance you tend to be absorbed into family stories whether you were there or not. I often think I can remember particular events I was part of simply because I’ve heard the stories so many times. Just after Pearl Harbour in ’41, we were all listening to the crystal set and mum said to us … ‘Remember the time we got held up by Ned Kelly?’ and I said … ‘Yeah … he took my ipod’ … and mum said … ‘Don’t be silly, you weren’t even born then … now go and get the mutton from the meatbox like I asked you before.’

needless to say

I don't think Dzia Dzia ever owned a pair of Reeboks, but their old slogan "Life is not a spectator sport" suited him perfectly. For him, sport is about participation, not watching.