Second Son of a Soldier Settler: The Long Road Ahead
Douglas Cope
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A sporting youngster who saw success in cricket and Aussie Rules, Douglas Cope joined the Royal Australian Navy at a very early age where he served on several vessels as U.W. [Underwater Warfare]. Second Son of a Soldier Settler Volume 1 recounts Douglas’s Naval career and his childhood, mostly devoid of love, spent pulling weeds among the grapevines in the dusty, infertile Mallee scrub.
In this second volume, Douglas has left the Navy, and we follow his foray into marriage, family, and work. Fond of the bottle, Douglas faces the demons of his mind and his past. At the Cross Roads of his life, lost in transition, his way forward is marked by wrong turns, and not too many rights. More by luck than good management, Douglas forges a career in Golf Course construction and management, before running a country pub and a corner store. Travelling north and south along Australia’s east coast, we meet hippies in the Top End, tough prawn trawler men in North Queensland, and outback farmers and Pub larrikins. Doug and his family endure caravan living, mice plagues, cyclones, and insect swarms on a search for fortitude and fulfilment down the long road towards the next horizon.
Specifications:
Size: US Trade (152mm x 228mm)
Pages: 498pp
Binding: Perfect Bound
Book 1 available here:
https://inhousebookstore.com.au/products/second-son-of-a-soldier-settler-on-the-spectrum
Customer Reviews
Congratulations Doug for two excellent books.
Being honest I did not think your second book would be as good as the first as it is being after you left Pussers, but as soon as I started, I was into it & finished it too in 2 days.
Apart from Leeuwin our lives have been so very different, you being a country boy & becoming a seaman & me being a city slicker from the middle of Sydney becoming a stoker & mechanic & doing 20 years then moving to NZ the day I started long service leave.
Talking of Leeuwin, I loved it (apart from being very homesick for the first 5 weeks or so). I sounded a bit like you, started in Nakina then moved down to Mokare. I remember you as the leading sportsman in the div. While you played sport, I joined the band as a drummer. Speaking of the boxing tournament I remember being petrified about it (but wasn’t letting anyone know that) as the time drew near. You covered the year so well in your book, so I won’t prattle on here.
I laughed when you talked about the Bognor pub, as I lived in a city building in the next block closer to Central Station & as a kid you would see the drunken matelots lined up at the shore patrol wagons at closing time. I remember my Mums response when I said I wanted to join the Navy, oh dear what was I turning into, she was not happy.
I enjoyed reading about what you did after your discharge, your travels & adventures & involvement with golf courses etc etc. You’ve led a great life.
Finished your second book and I thought it was fantastic. You have a remarkable way of keeping the reader entertained. Love your sense of humour too. Well Done! Looking forward to number 3!
Have recently purshased this 2nd volume .And am already 2/3 through. Highly entertaining and highly recommended.