pet budgie called Peter and a collie dog called Pat. Pat was so gentle he even allowed young Colleen to ride his back. At Christmas everything was cooked out of the garden, Lady Ruby and the housekeeper would make a traditional pudding months before. Later on the meat came from Lochinver, and at the back of Drury Quarry there were turkeys which they would also enjoy for Christmas dinner. There was a food storage safe in a tree near the clothesline and Ruby would pull a string to lower and raise it. The wind would blow through the tree and keep the butter, milk, cooked meat cool for a day or two. Family man Wednesday night was poker night and usually involved two or three couples, including Jeff Jeffries the gardener and his wife. They would play with pennies and matchsticks and everyone would bring a plate of sandwiches for supper at 10pm. The Jeffries lived in a cottage on the property, as well as being gardener Jeff used to work as a truck driver for the firm. A film room was built at the house with a pull down screen and WA would bring home 16mm movies for the family and friends to enjoy on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He was also an avid collector of Dresden China, collecting pieces every time he went overseas. There was a small shelly beach at the bottom of the garden which was reached by a green painted wooden zig zag stairway. Later they built a shed with a speed boat in it to follow the rowers as they practiced. The children would boil cockles in a billy and serve them in bread with salt and pepper on the beach. Later WA employed someone full time to attend to the horses. Colleen's job on Mondays was to poke the bed sheets underwater in the copper boiled over a fire. Later on she was allowed to turn the handle for the wringer washing machine. With WA working long hours the boys were given regular chores and were expected to help keep the property in order. They had to mow the vast lawns once a week, two pairs of WA's boots had to be cleaned each morning, the cars washed twice a week, plus feeding the horses all the while going to Howick District High School. Lady Ruby's sister Muriel was unmarried and also lived with