in the shop front picture in front of the
wattle and daub house. He explains how
this fella, his dad’s dad had arrived in
Tottenham on his bicycle in 1906 and
decided to make it his home.
Richard has those outback eyes that
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their stories, their memories and their
open wounds. These are the people who
share stories rather than just tell them.
For three hours we talk. He tells of
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on the Burma railroad. He tells of how
for 2 years no word came from his dad
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only son had perished, died of a broken
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a letter arrived: a year before the war
ended, and his emaciated son returned
fatherless to Tottenham.
He shows me his father’s secret war
diary, pencilled into tiny notebooks and
he shows me a photo of his dad in a
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the fall and tells how only 7 returned...5
of the players died at the hands of the
Japs on the Burma Railway and another
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so Ricky offers to call back Debbie
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open the envelope.7RWWHQKDP·VFRSSHUVKDIWVPLJKWEH
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for the Kennedys and Franz, photos of
Herb Kennedy, copies of contemporary
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it contains copies of the records of
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shop with the window hole made by the
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are well kept and the hot water seems
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brew and enjoy it on the ‘randa, my back
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people like Richard and think,
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pie in the sky.”
The Tottenham Hotel rated in the
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down by a lack of a full time restaurant
and some bar facilities.
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the place and the helpfulness of Rick
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atmosphere with its walls empty ‘cept
for a couple of old footy photos and
seems to portray an attitude of,
‘we don’t have a lot but what we
have is yours.’
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weekend ride for bikers who’re into
RSHQEDFNURDGVWRXULQJFound one, but
not the otherFearingdemonstrationsbytheIWW,
theNSWgovernmentforbad
KennedyorFranzbeingburiedin
Sydneyandcondemnedthemto
unmarkedgravesinBathurst.
AfterleavingTottenhamIheaded
downthereandonadankdrizzling
afternoonandwanderedthroughthe
cemetery.Aftertwohours,inthe
CatholicsectionIfoundwhatmust
betheanonymousgraveofRoland
Kennedy,bereftofanymarkingor
tribute.Istoodandtriedtoimagine
theburialacenturyago.
Despiteanotherhouroverinthe
ChurchofEnglandsections,Ihadno
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