<p>Joe Thompson was born in the small mining town of Minmi, north of Newcastle in 1889. This book follows his life there as a Pupil Teacher, to the Balmain area, where he played soccer for both Balmain and New South Wales, to a role as an instructor with the fledgling Royal Australian Navy. His marriage to Marjorie Roberts took them to Mudgee, where he continued teaching and began a family in 1921. Written by Joe&#39;s eldest son, Geoffrey Thompson, now 97, we explore Australia between the wars, early motoring up and down New South Wales, and family holidays at Durras, till Joe&#39;s sudden death in 1942.</p>