Unlikely Encounters of a Mild Colonial Boy

Stories spanning over a century from the life of TJ 'Jim' McKenzie, his family, friends and people along the way, from the 1890s to 2020s. Recollections of growing up near Longreach CQ from the mid-1930s, early boarding school to National Service, life on sheep stations to meeting Princesses. From sheep shearing to pen pushing. From rural living and working to city life and raising a family from the mid-60s. Jim experienced early tragedy and unusual opportunities, and some unlikely encounters.This collection of anecdotes provides an account of some of the encounters and perspectives, some universal and others unusual, of a mild country boy living in a time of personal and cultural changes and happenings. Delivered with a dash of humour and a somewhat philosophical perspective, it offers a potential chuckle, as well as historical insights into ways of living and working which at times seem to have faded from our modern and urban view, along with some of the characters.