[Ross_Moorhouse]

A very dear old friend of mine, Mary Klaus, was telling me tales of her youth the other day. She is a dear old lady and is in fact married to Santa Klaus. Mary is also a really good model maker. Her work in 1/144th is outstanding. I asked her once why she builds in this scale. With a cheeky smile and a twinkle in her eye she told me that up at the North Pole everything shrinks so she is used to seeing small bits.

Anyway this is not related to what I wanted to share with you. It is about Mary and her relationship with Busty Dymphna. It's a real small world when you see Dr. Neil posting this ladies name. If Mary saw this name mentioned here she would turn bright red and hide her head in shame. You see Busty Dymphna is Mary's mother. Mary is a love child. I do hope Mary forgives me for telling you this and a little bit about her and her mother.

During WWII a strapping young man from Queensland was demobbed from the RAAF’s secret model building unit. They used to build models in 1/8 scale of WWI planes trying to fool the Japs into thinking they were fighting their Allies. Many a model of a Camel was seen stationed around the Pacific. I think a young Jap soldier, Lt. Tamyia may even of lead a Banzi charge against one of these models when they came saw it sitting there all by itself on an abandoned airfield. Recon photos show that the 1/8 Camel was removed by the Japs. Intelligence seems to suggest that Lt.Tamyia’s commandeering Office Capt.Hasegawa took the Camel as war booty. Again I am getting off track.

Because of the failed deception by this secret model making unit this young Queenslander was sent home well before the war ended. His ship landed him in Sydney. He wandered the streets looking for model shops. But was at least 10 years too early for the opening of Hobbyco on George street. He, like many other service men in this city found himself up at the Cross. Kings Cross is a magnet for model makers. In dark corners of pubs throughout Sydney *model makers talk of the black market trade at the Cross in model supplies. Of course our young Queenslander overheard these conversations. He had to sample what was reputed to be the best in glues and paints that only the black market could supply.

One night he found himself walking up a set of narrow stairs in a 3 storey building at the Cross. He had been told that he could buy CA in a room at top of the building. This was a secret glue the RAAF had been using to construct their 1/8 scale models. Just the thought of using this glue again brought back memories of a steamy jungle and the smell of CA to our young Queenslander. What the government of the day hadn’t told their troops as that CA changes the way you look. Many young men came back from these secret units and were not at first recognised by their families. The effects of CA was that devastating on a persons features. *Some men came back with fingers stuck to their faces. Others had bits of the models stuck to their heads.