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new management came over from Melbourne as the Swan
Brewery was a Melbourne firm and several of the old hands
had to leave and myself included as they had their own
master to put in the steamer, and I very unfortunately got a
weeks notice, but I may say that they did not dismiss me
shabelie [shabbily] as they very kindly paid me for six months after and
besides receiving a purse of sovereigns from all hands in the
Swan Brewery. So I must not complain as all my family
was pretty well grown up and two married and I may
say that I was sorry that I had to part with one of the
most comfortable jobs that every I had in all my seafaring
life. But I may say that I found it pretty hard to secure
another berth for a man of my age. As I was then sixty three
years old. Now this was in the year 1911. Anyhow some of my family
was working and myself doing odd jobs and I applied every-
for a job afloat but could secure nothing, only a watchman
on board a sailing vessel in Fremantle, that was
laid up at the north wharf as I knew the owner and I
stayed there for some time until she was sold. So it was
getting into 1912, when my youngest son was twenty-one
years old, there was an estate in Port Adelaide which had
to be sold and the money divided among the eight of us. So
the executor and my oldest son in Port Adelaide saw every
settled and the money sent round to the Union Bank and
we all received our shares and the first thing I did was
to have a look round the Land agents windows to see what
houses was for sale. As I thought I would better have somewhere
to live in both for my family and myself in my old days. So
I picked one in Subiaco and took a valuator with me
and had a look round, and found everything very satis-
factory. So I came back to Perth to Mr Charles Hodd's office in
William Street and bought it. I did not live in this house
I bought but let it out for a few years as some of my family
was living in different parts of the state. So I lived with one of
my daughters in West Perth which had just come over from
Adelaide. Then my youngest son went to the war and got