In late 1946 Doug purchases a newsagency on busy St George’s Terrace in Perth from Laura O’Hara. Over twenty years and through multiple renovations by their landlords, Zimpels the furniture store, Doug and Joan open a separate greeting cards store within Zimpels and a chocolates store.

Doug starts as a newsboy and tells us about the local papers, their offices and staff like Mr Martin of the Daily News and the Mirror’s Ted “Cherry” Hancock and J J “Boss” Simons who founded the Young Australia Football League. We learn about how the boys would make extra money from the crossword competitions.