Money was tight, so the kids had to wear the thick European clothes that they had managed to bring out with them. The clothing was not comfortable to wear during Australian summers. Dad’s mother, Kate, couldn’t understand why Dad’s socks disappeared. You can imagine her surprise when the chimney sweeper arrived at the start of winter, and discovered the socks that Dad had hidden in the chimney!

For a while, Dad’s parents ran a restaurant called The Spotted Dog, located in Collins Street. His father, Adolf, who had been a well-respected solicitor in Germany, was initially barred from practising in Australia, so he waited tables in the restaurant. This was not perhaps the best use of his abilities. On one occasion, when a customer inquired why Adolf’s thumb was firmly in the soup bowl delivered to the table, he retorted, “Well, at least you know there has been some meat in this soup!”.