Father Goose

---

This is the Australian Broadcasting

Commission. And now the news.

Japanese forces continue their

heavy attack on the Philippines

and Dutch East Indies.

Occupation of Manila is now complete

with American and Philippine forces

under the command of General MacArthur

withdrawing to the Bataan Peninsula.

His Majesty's forces are carrying

out an orderly evacuation

of the New Guinea coast, in preparation

for defence of Port Moresby and...

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

s M/ I got me ten fine toes to wiggle in the sand

s M/ Lots of idle fingers snap to my command

s M/ A lovely pair of heels

s M/ that kick to beat the band

s M/ Contemplating nature can be fascinating

s M/ Add to these a nose that I can thumb

s M/ And a mouth, by gum, have I

s M/ To tell the whole damn world

s M/ if you don't happen to like it

s M/ Deal me out, thank you kindly, pass me by

s M/ Pass me by, pass me by

s M/ If you don't happen to like it, pass me by

Hey, hey, hey.

Get off.

Boom...

Here, just a minute.

Where do you think you're

going with those, hmm?

Do you know who I am?

Um... Not exactly, no.

Well, we'll let it go this time.

Yes, sir. I understand. Salamaua

will be cleared by noon the latest.

Nothing left that the

Japanese will be able to use.

Sir, there's a chap

outside who...

May I respectfully remind the admiral that

I was harbour master here for 20 years?

I helped put the docks together so I should

certainly be able to blow them apart.

Sir, there's a chap outside

who's pinching our petrol.

All coastal watching stations

are assigned, except...

- Matalava, sir.

- Except Matalava, sir.

I haven't been able to find

a replacement for Anderson.

I don't believe there's a civilian

left on the entire north coast.

We could have transferred George Dickens

if he hadn't got himself eaten that way.

You needn't make him sound

such a shirker, Stebbings.

What's that, sir? For want of a nail?

The war was...

Yes, I'm well aware

of that, sir.

Hello, hello, hello.

I think I may have

found our nail, sir.

A rusty one, I grant you, but they don't

come any sharper. Excuse me, sir.

Sir, that's the chap I

was telling you about.

Later, Stebbings.

Who is he, sir? Is he

someone I should know?

His name's Walter

Eckland, an American.

He knows these islands

like the back of his hand.

Oh.

Oh well, now that America's in the war,

he's probably on his way back to enlist.

Eckland's not on his way

anywhere, Stebbings.

Hasn't been for years.

Hello, Walter.

Frank! That you inside there, Frank?

What have you done to yourself?

- There's a war on, Walter.

- Everybody's saying that.

At the moment, we're losing it.

I guess you must be.

Cheek of the man!

That's quite a boat you have there, Walter.

Doesn't it belong to old Van Der Hoeven?

- No!

- Whose is it, then?

- Mine.

- How did you get it?

- I bought it from old Van Der Hoeven.

- What with?

American dollars.

You've never had more than $200

at one time since I've known you.

You can't tell me Van Der Hoeven

sold you an $18,000 launch for $200.

- No, it cost me $400.

- $400?

You know, that's exactly

the way he said it.

Only, I pointed out to him

he might as well sell

it to me as let the

Japanese have it for free.

What impresses me, Walter, is the

fact that you even had $400.

Well, I didn't.

I only had 200,

just as you said.

I owe him the rest.

Well, come along. Lend a hand.

Come on.

Empty hands

make idle minds.

Here, pick those up.

No, no, no.

Two, come on.

? Contemplating nature can be fascinating ?

Do you know what the coastwatching

service is, Walter?

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