There are people..still alive, with an honourable mention or two in the following..rather looong article/story..

Now, all those police checks you have to have done to get different jobs nowadays. A young man momentarily in town applied for a cleaning job at the local school..so they gave him one of these police checks to fill out. He gave them a clean WA police check..uh uh, they wanted the national one, which turned up that he had done time for murder in…might have been NSW..so, no job! Can’t have a murderer working in a school..although one of these judge type people could pardon this guy,  but it would be an official act, and the man with the record would basically have to be a saint….and there aren’t many of us around😱🧐😄
Ade reckoned he knew a Someone who could make things like this disappear..for a price…and are we surprised? None of us wanted to know anything about Ades friend..some things are better left buried/undisturbed..

Ade’s sister found out where all her dolls were disappearing to when the water tank blew over..he Really didnt like those dolls, eh.
Ade found himself fending for himself, he said, at 14..heres your port, I dont want to hear or see from you until you’re 21..kind of a thing. Rellies, friends, acquaintances, spare sheds were his abodes, until he got his act together. Hard times..
There was mention of a gold mining lease..another mate and I worked out where it would have been in Mount Palmer. Trouble is, mining stopped in 1944, according to Mindat.org, and Ade wasnt around until 1949…might have been a family member, however.
Ade worked on oil rigs, courtesy Rothschilds…salary of 250,000 american dollars…
they gave him a credit card, good for enough credit to buy a jumbo jet..but questions would be asked, he says…Not working for them any more? No worries, keep it for when you come back to us…
He routinely was asked to work for them again for years afterwards..
Their superannuation was..incredible..an amazing amount of money deposited in his account every three months..got salted away in Thailand..his pin number had twelve digits..committed to memory, not in writing anywhere. He reckoned that there was an accountant type girl who had five clients, Ade being one of them, and she looked after their superannuation…rather well, to all accounts. She had the advantage of living/having a registered company address in..one of Australias Territories, where ..officials were’nt as..curious/pedantic..about…stuff…

Ade gave Rothsch..the address of an engineering firm in Welshpool, Perth..Rothsch..etc..were looking for a someone with expertise with twelve volt stepping motors for their oil rigs. Said firm got a multimillion dollar order out of the blue a short time later..Ade dropped in to say hello..didnt take them long to put two and two together..
Ade had two lots of numbers for his tattlottoes…he won division one twice..
He figured out that a small win of Eighty odd thousand was safer off in Thailand…
He offered nearly a million dollars as settlement in a divorce..years after when it was all signed and sealed, he sent a copy of a land sale in Darwin..was holding up the building of a casino..to his ex…
He came home unexpectedly one time, which is what he said  precipitated the divorce..
Holiday in China, where he had a great time firing off scary munitions..

Ade had a habit of fortifying his houses..a couple of law enforcement types werent amused when they knocked on his front door.. in Broome maybe, to find themselves encased in a steel cabinet.. In case scary people decided to “visit”, next to his front door, basically invisible, was a ..knock panel maybe…you hit the top, and a little door would fall open, complete with a sawn off shotgun, fully loaded and ready to go…apparantly… Ade hated the idea that a Someone would steal from him..it was all too hard to win, he reckoned.
Jazzy looking  Beware Minefield and Enter At Your Own Risk signs,  appeared round one of his places…after dark callers seemed to stop after that! Mr   …&%#@-, its come to our attention that there might be a serious violation of public safety going on in your front yard…Ade would..heh..switch off his mines, hope like hell that they all deactivated, and demonstrate..no mines, see? All a ploy to stop the robbers…Very well, but there better not be any casualties….so, apart from a cat or two, there weren’t any casualties….I mean, would you run the risk? Nah, neither would I.
A similar lot confiscated a rather large calibre home made mortar Ade and mates were using to put holes in the next doors banana plantation..apparantly the firing pin was a bit tricky to import..you had it mixed up with sundry bits and pieces and hoped it got through customs. Oh, what was that you found? well I never..who would send something like that to me?..
He built that lot a BBQ out of local rock, ensuring a steady flow of invites and gossip..
He lived on and off with..gay girls..he and a particular she used to surprise the other with exotic meals..one of his efforts..a really fine grained huge steak…waddya reckon?…Ah, a loser at Flemington!

Nuclear powered batteries, to all accounts , that power some radar ..bits on the northern Australian coastline..a few ended up powering his bunkers security…red, green and orange buttons, to be pressed in the right order, mind you..apparantly there were..consequences..for getting the order wrong… the bunkers were used for..run away essentials, some serious Armageddon coping strategy devices, complete with ammunition…one to all accounts is still under one of the northern airports…another favourite spot was under a waterhole..
He had spots on his arms that came and went..consequence of working near Uluru on drilling rigs..this white powder inevitably coated everything. Apparantly, 50 metres down for miles around there..layers of yellowcake.

Stint in Africa as a mercenery, hired to..nullify south african troublemakers…he reckoned that periodically
in front of him appeared lots of hazy faces..
Somehow, Timor got an honourable mention. Along the lines of..a stint there, resulting in regrettable losses of dearly loved sons of The Elite,  living in ..one of Timors neighbouring countries, shall we say. Ade reckoned that from this little adventure, he scored himself a T in his passport, visible under ultraviolet light. The consequence of this T was that he could never guarantee that he could successfully exit said country in the .er..conventional manner..that was too risky for a risk averse lad like himself. So, unconventional means featured in a story or three. Island hopping, then a final dash….Don’t know that I’d enjoy a  trip in a boat loaded with a few tonnes of..questionable..merchandise, trying to go under the radar coming into the Northern coastline of Australia….going flat out..presumably at night, when the powers that be were particularly anxious to talk to and/or apprehend said boats…..

Ade only bought carlton mid beer, in tins….always paid with notes, never with coin. He amassed lots and lots of coin..so much so that periodically, the local club asked for some of his coin..two hundred dollars of two dollar coins maybe..always had at least a grands worth under his bed. He threatened to kill people routinely..the youngies were especially impressed. perhaps thats why his coin collection lay undisturbed..
He was sitting out the back of one of the  houses in the town where  we both stayed for a while..when he saw a newly arrived boy go come around the back, and make for the back door…This isn’t Perth, you little sh$4+8, and if I see you here again, I’m going to shoot you..do you understand?  Said boy behaved after that…actually, a couple of youngies did run afoul of him..one laid him out with one punch after being egged on by another youngie ..this other youngie was overly heavy handed…when this ..other youngie.. played local  football , the opposition kept a close watch on him all game, and tensions rose when one of their younger players had the ball with..this other youngie.. nearby… Ade wanted to pay them a visit afterwards..with me as backup…it didnt happen…shudder! The ..punchers.. dad had a natter with Ade..one more strike, and his young fellow was in a world of trouble…with The Authorities…it all went quiet after that…
Down in Perth theres a guy with a scar from a razor cut, from an eyebrow down to his chin..to all accounts, he thought to reach for someone elses money at an ATM, and chose the wrong guy to do it with….

Ade told the story of a guy in Sydney..carried around a Gladstone bag, handcuffed to a wrist, and in it was lots of money, and a pistol. He also carried a .22 calibre walking stick…that got put to use when a man started to shake down passengers in a train. He must have been really over the top/violent  with it..so we have one dead robber, and a carriage of Sydneysiders, none of whom saw a thing. Picture, if you will, said small but lethal stick being placed on a mans chest, while an ultimatum was delivered, and a button being pressed, when an ..unsuitable answer was forthcoming.. But, the boss of..the guy in question.. was highly not amused, and suggested that a leave of absence was called for…so someone knowledgable did see, eh…The guy with aforesaid walking stick was identified as being bagman for..nameless baddie, and went from there…

Ade loved his recycling..was always making trips here and there to local..and not so local..tips. He usually managed to bring back all the relevant bits of..refrigerators, car radiators, anything copper, brass then aluminium at a pinch..on occasion, the whole thing got brought back, and was pulled apart at his leisure.  The resultant scrap was dropped off at the local tip…it being usually too heavy to be put in the local wheelie bin, and expect the council to pick up.
One time, though, he did load a wheelie bin up..and watched as the truck came in, put its mechanical arms around the bin..the trucks motor almost stalled..so, engine went up a few revs..the bin went up..slowly..inch at a time in jerks, and deafening noise when the bin contents were finally emptied into the truck…lots of clunk clunk noises. Ade was spoken to, regarding an overweight wheelie bin…apparently three or four hundred kilos was a bit much for a fifty kilo bin..

To all accounts, he was working for a caravan park..up near Broome again….the overseer had decreed that Ade get rid of a pile of dead…well, this was the result of “the cocky shuffle”  line of pink and greys, on a power line..there wasnt a regulation gap between power lines…long line of unfortunate galahs..all shuffle right..flash, all shuffle right again, another flash, and a growing pile underneath. They start to smell after a while..Ade, get rid of them, but not in the green wheelie bins!
Every caravan park resident had a pair of bins; the green ones….and yellow ones..recycling! You guessed it..one cocky per each yellow bin..

Ade talked about..japanese girls here and there. They all came over on backpacker visas, and could be seen all over the country.
Now..along Broomes 80 mile beach, was a camp, which enterprising locals used here and there..usually fishing type activities. There was a ginormous tiger shark caught there once..was 6 tonnes in weight to all accounts.
So, Japanese girls. They got four of them to hang onto a tarp..in windy conditions..yes, and yes..they got blown a wee ways along the beach..must have been a sight!

Ade’s parents house..was the place for your stash..and the barn, under the chookhouse, you name it, Ade had money in ingenious places. hollowed out bits in benches, that sort of thing. And, just in case some of you lot get funny ideas, theres not a skerrick left, and Ade’s parents have moved from that address!
Talking stashes, Ade always had money on him when he travelled. lots. cold hard cash. And, out of town, he carried the twelve ton esky with him. twelve ton, I hear you say? yep..just about! filled with food..tins bulk foods like rice, powdered milk,  and his favourite beverage was loaded separately.  You can’t trust that a servo will have eftpos up and running, when you’re out in the sticks.  He periodically came acros a line of people waiting for the phone line to get repaired..he was able to go straight to the pump.  The operator, in one case sitting in a metal cage with a shotgun at the ready, would turn the pump on remotely, only after he got paid, and only for the purchased amount. The price..sky high…

He reckoned that he purchased the lease of the ..Broome tip it might have been..for a mill(ion)..and that lease paid for itself after three months…what with a fence around to deter would-be opportunists, anxious to deprive Ade of a few well earned sheckles..and all valuable bits sorted into piles, and onsold at  the right time to the scrap metal buyers.

In later years, he reckoned that he bought some old houses cum shacks, and leased them to either CBH or people who worked for..CBH.., there being nothing else around at all for these workers to live in.

Ade had camped next to a river, along with lots of other people. Next morning, after a night of rain, they all found themselves cut off, and had to wait for the water to subside. Trouble was, it was days, and there weren’t many of them prepared with..twelve ton eskies, were there?. So. Ade found a woman with a couple of kids, and set up camp next to them. Kids getting hungry..oh, it just so happens I have some spare tucker… It didnt take long for the rest of them to notice, and Ade had to fend off numerous …requests was a polite term for some of them. 18 months later, that womans grateful husband finally found Ade…who refused to take any money. He reckoned it was a hard lesson for some at that place! Flaash four wheel drives, full of p$@& and importance, that accounted for diddly squat when the chips were down..

Ade got a phone call, and went down south to a damsel in distress. Namely, his doll deprived sister, who had not a brass razoo to her name, apart from money in her bank account that she couldn’t access, on account of the bank were being difficult; something to do with a lost card, and a fortnight to get a new one. So, part of his stash was lent out, along with a lecture about.. I dunno, putting some aside, bottom of the chookhouse, that sort of thing.

Ade had a thing about banks. He had ..rather..a large amount on fixed deposit with one particular bank..who must have rubbed him the wrong way. So. My term deposit ends in two days, I’m withdrawing it..in cash. um..we dont carry that much on hand..we’ll give you a bank cheque instead. Nope, cash thankyou. You can get an armoured car out…so, it was duly handed over…We can provide a security guard ..No thanks, I’m not going far….Ade promptly took it across the road to a competitor..

Ade was in the Broome area, hired to find out which barperson was stealing from his or her boss. So, what he’d do, was sit in the bar..all day, and watch.  You can’t sit in a pub for no reason..apparantly.., so, here and there, he bought himself a drink, and quietly disposed of the contents..in one of the potted plants, maybe. So, a few days later, he was able to report, that, under this particular cash register, was a ledge, under which said thief would stash the occasional $50 note when it came his way. A successful operation!

Ade was a lip reader. A couple of ladies..according to Ade, at any rate, were discussing the size of a local guys..sexual equipment, can I say. It got a bit much for Ade, who was never backward at coming forward..so he asked the pair of them a question..something..I imagine.. along the lines of..what a pair of married ladies were doing, discussing intimate details of..said local guy!  He reckoned that afterwards, said ladies would cover their mouths when talking at the pub, having worked out how he knew, these embarassing things..

Ade had been …blindsided.., probably only the once, so for ever afterwards, when a boss denied that he/she had instructed Ade to do something..Ade would ensure there were witnesses around, then play back that conversation..that he had recorded on his little dictaphone.
Ade worked in the next town to where we/he lived, for the shire council.One of his jobs..was to load up an ute with road signs,  post hole digger and cement, to put said road signs around. He  sometimes parked in various gravelpits, for lunch, morning tea, or whatever; so he got to know them all. One day, he spotted two men come into town in an ute, park at the end of the main street, separate, and walk down, one man on each side of said street.  He waited for a bit, then dropped in on the local copper/policeman for, as he put it, a wee chat.  Along the lines of..said two guys were actually baddies, about to rob the place blind, they were camped at..one particular gravel pit out of town,  and perhaps said copper could take matters in hand, before things got out of hand. So to speak.

We got work locally, with Ade having numerous tickets for all sorts of weird and wonderful machinery. Excepting trailers above a certain size, towed by a truck. x class or something like that.. Ade did Not want to be stuck driving trucks for a living…Ade, grab that truck and trailer, and..uh uh, no license for the trailer!  An excavator type job, though, did happen.  Pretty scary, digging next to a pipeline…
Down in ..Ravensthorpe..I think it was, our  boss was contracted to put a fence around a patch of ground, to keep critters and especially humans, out. 600mm deep, over six feet in height, maybe three or five kilometres in length. There was a ..wee ditchdigger, and guess who was the only guy with a ticket? Correct! So, Ade spent days, bouncing around, teeth rattling along with everything else. There were lots of mallee roots to tear through with that ditchdigger.
That workplace was interesting…everything had to be hosed down, all dirt removed before going onsite. At the gate was a pressure washer, and every vehicle that came through had to be washed. It was a dieback type fungus they were trying to keep out of this little block..or maybe they were trying to keep it in. We had various huts, caravans etc to stay in. Ade came down with his own tent setup.

A year or two later, Ade bought himself another more upmarket ute, and sold the other one to a Pitjantjatjara man he knew,  they were workmates here and there.   Ade made sure that the new owner was well aware that one of the six sparkplugs was and had been welded into its place..

Ade would quit his job/retire, and have fun with the taxman. In that,  after a while, he’d get bored. He’d go around all the tips, getting  bits to sell to Simsmetal, maybe, if their rates were suitable.  Only when copper was up would he load up his ute, and go and sell it all. He knew to the dollar what he was going to get, and he made sure that he wouldnt go over a certain amount..above that, and the recycle mob would have to report it.   He’d do that fulltime for a while, then decide to go back to work.
So, he’d ring the tax office up..he called it the tax orfice….and say that he was thinking of going back to work, and was there anything they could do to help that happen. Well, they fell over themselves, found all sorts of  extra payments, gave him all sorts of stuff..safety equipment, workboots that sort of thing. Stuff that you and I wouldn’t think of, or know about. Subsidies, lower than usual rate loans maybe. He reckoned they were that keen to get another taxpayer on the books..he had so much fun! And he’d already worked out where he was going to work anyway.  The flurry died down, eventually, and Ade worked for a few more years, until..💥😲😱😊 it all started again.

The two of us went for a road trip, up the West Australian coast, up as far as Broome, and back to our town ‘down the guts’, via Mekatharra. I have a not so good picture of an eagle with his claws embedded in a carcass, trying to get out of our way…no fences out there, and cattle etc had the run of..everywhere, really. Some of those bulls had some serious weight to them, not something to run into on the road.

Middle pikky, the eagle..

So, for Ade, thats about it. Some years after I left to go to the ..clear throat  and spit.😏🤗🤕😅…eastern states, he contracted a lung disease ..emphysema maybe.was hospitalised near his Ma and Pa. His manner of death..having fallen out of bed seems..incongruent, somehow..but it was a life well lived. Many the hours spent in a smoke filled television room with mates, tinnies..oh, you got any spare, Ade, I’m a bit short..and these stories were legend in that..tiny town.
Vale, Ade.