Ep. 10. AB Facey: The Ordinary Aussie Bloke who exemplified Old-School toughness of character

Albert Facey, born at the desperate tail end of the Australian gold rush, suffered incredible hardship, poverty and even child slavery, only to escape and survive like so many other Huckleberry Finns of his time, purely by his wits and determination, in a harsh, unforgiving land. Illiterate, he taught himself to read and write, and was soon swept up in the fervour of the Great War. Ending up in the hell of Gallipoli, and its horrors of trench warfare, he was wounded and returned to Australia. He had barely settled into married life, when the Great depression hit; a nightmare he was only too familiar with from his childhood. Battling constant illness himself, and then losing a son in the second world war, and still having the strength to go on, his was a tale similar to so many others, of one disaster after another, of narrow escapes and lean expectations. And yet, in his 80’s he was to name his published memoirs “A Fortunate Life”, reflecting his incredibly positive outlook on life. He was in many ways the archetypical battler of his era, one of the faceless legions of pioneers that build nations, and a voice from the past that we can all benefit listening to.Join us, as we explore the life of this extraordinary, yet ordinary man, and pause to take some inspiration, during our own trying times, from his indomitable spirit.#aussiehero, #aussiebattler, #abfacey, #anzacSupport the show