Extracts from
Laurie Cheeseman's Memoirs

Page 5

4. Peace and war

With a little help from Winnie, who went with him to Spencer Street for his interview, Laurie was eventually offered a position at Ouyen on 17 May 1937. This not only got him a job but, as the extract from his memoir immediately below shows, introduced a new interest and some discipline into his life. As importantly, it allowed him to return to the Mallee to live. There he started playing football again, with a team from Bronzewing, a little town a few miles southeast of Ouyen. In his first season with his new club, Laurie won their 'best and fairest' award. The following year he was appointed the team's vice captain. And in 1940 he helped Bronzewing win the premiership. A good and steady wage also enabled him to buy himself a motorbike, which in turn allowed him to go to the farm at Walpeup on his days off. It also attracted the attention of a number of girlfriends although these were never, he insisted, 'serious courtship's'.

The photo on the left shows the drivers based at Ouyen when Laurie joined the Victorian Railways in 1937. From L/R:
Fred Rankin, Arthur Cassells, Syd Smith and Abe Milkins (Laurie's instructor and future brother-in-law).
The photo on the right shows Laurie's sister, Teen, on his Wolfe 2-stroke motorbike in 1939.

While reticent at first, Laurie decided eventually to enlist. After telling his family and workmates, he went to the nearest recruiting depot at Mildura where he and a number of others from Ouyen were given a medical examination, signed up and told to wait for the next draft to Melbourne. 'Notice came after a couple of weeks and we were grouped up on the Ouyen platform. An Army officer came along and told us to line up, he called the roll and herded us on to the train and that was that'.

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