Work and War
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Grandpa had an overdraught until 1938 when he sold all the cattle because the boys were going to the War. This is the first time he was out of debt. |
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28th Dec 1940 Ballie enlisted in the 4th Light Horse - he went to non commisssioned Officer course at Geelong, after that all the horses came the showgrounds at Colac A, B, and C Squadron - 1500 horses and Hamilton for more training. |
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He celebrated his 21st at Mortlake Mt. Shadwell Hotel while coming home on leave. The license of the Hotel was called Brace. The saleyards were just opposite. Wild celebrations with chaps running up and down the counter with no boots on. Bushy and Harold Rogers singing. We used 'Gangers' bus from Colac - that Company might still operate today. |
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Started off at Ivanhoe Grammar with 24 hour guard duty - 2 hours on and 4 hours off and then later went to Mt. Martha. |
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Soon later the Americans arrived - Ballie was within touching distance of General Macarthur. He met with Ivan Mc Kay. |
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Later he went to Sydney to the 2nd Army Headquarter and volunteered to do mess duty because of being involved in 'good tucker." His number was VX130110. |
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There was the Officers mess and the sergeants mess. |
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Later moved to Mt. Martha - Ballie did some fishing there in days off - row out for flathead. |
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He moved from the Light Horse to the AIF - 2nd Army Headquarters - joined at the Sydney showground. |
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He became in charge of the Administration of the mess and Corporal Kane was over 180 Sergeants. He did such a good job they would not release him to other War duties. |
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Ballie met Bill O'Reilly the cricketer - he loved his grog. Ballie and Phonse Kyne (later coach of Collingwood) opened the ruck for the Army. |
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Ballie was known far and wide as 'Cobber Kane.' He was never called Tom. Cobber Kane was a War ace who had an enormous record as an English pilot. Ballie was named after him. |
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Alex McDonnell from Cavendish in the Light Horseman wrote the poems for the whole unit. two, three, four |
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Ballie was there 20 years old in the army. He walked the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Travelled on all Public transport free. |
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Ballie finished up a Corporal |
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You got 5 shillings a day in the army. |
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Petrol rationing at Coleraine right up till 1949. |
After we left school and that well we all worked here. I think we got the milk machines in about 32 or 33 and we were milking about 45 cows and doing all the farm work of course we did that only for our tucker, clothes and good bed and of course then when the Second World War came. Well I missed it – I was only 20 and went into the Light Horse and your father and Jack. They went into the army too.
John “What did you do that for? Why did you enlist?”
Well – a good question John! A very good question. Now what annoys me at this present time with the likes of that Ruxton (President of the RSL in Victoria) talking about fighting for flags and a queen and all this razzarmataz. All my mates and a lot of them are still over there in the desert or on the darn islands. Most of them. They never had a razoo, they had the arse out of their trousers and they did it more for adventure and to make sure they got three feeds a day and they were given free clothing and that. As far as thinking of a flag at that time, they never even knew it existed. And its like what they did to the ones that came home from the 1914 war. This is why I say that Ruxton’s an absolute idiot. They were given the worst land. Those poor buggers who fought their guts out. All these Anzacs, in France and Christ knows what and gassed. They were given the worst land they could possibly get in the Mallee and all through there. Festered with rabbits and they had to clear the land. The only way they existed, most of them selling Mallee stumps and all that. Most of them starved to death up there. And the same thing here. The ones who were given land, were given land around Gringe which was riddled with rabbits and of course in those days, no super (Superphophate), no land improvement and most of them just walked away – half starved off the place. So that’s the thanks that most of these fellas who were fighting for their queen and the flag got out of it. Poor buggers, along with the ones who were killed. Poor old Uncle Jack’s over there at Lone Pine. He had nothing there to fight for. He had 40 acres here and he finished up when he bought a bit of Winninburn – made him 90 acres. They poor bugger was 44 when he enlisted and he wasn’t lucky enough to get back. He had nothing behind him. Back in those times there, the ordinary person had no amenities of life. It was absolutely atrocious.
When we went into the army well Dad couldn’t do the cows. It was a blessing in disquise because he never had the best of herds. They were scrubbers. Evestons always had good cows. Dad only had an old scrubber bull. They were more beef cattle than anything. Of course once they sold the cows then of course we had to rewrite the program. Although we kept a few back some of the real good ones. I think we got up to about 15 or 16 again.
