Dating back to his early days in Canada, Doug’s father was involved in horse racing. In Perth they had success with many horses, most notably the 1932 Easter Cup win with Dainty Princess. There were hard times and some bad accidents for father Walter. Doug has some betting wins and after the war was a ‘betting clerk’ for a friend.
In the days before TV, radio was the core of the family home. Doug talks about homemade crystal radios, Kriesler cabinet radios, the radio stations of the 1930s such as 6WF, 6ML, 6PR, and 6IX, and the ‘actuality’ broadcasts of sporting matches. Also radio in Kalgoorlie and Madang during the War.