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Mike Dixon

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David found that fully believable. The ground was too<br />

hot for bare feet and they‟d had to hose down the Landcruiser<br />

before Tim could work on it.<br />

Tim completed his work and they returned to their room.<br />

They had booked into the more up-market part of the hos-<br />

tel and had their own en suite and air conditioning. David<br />

changed into shorts and T-shirt. Tim donned long trousers<br />

and an open-necked shirt.<br />

David was struck by how much his friend had slowed<br />

down. In Canberra Tim was forever dashing about madly.<br />

Here he was taking everything slowly. It didn‟t take long to<br />

understand why. In a cold climate you have to expend energy<br />

to stay warm. In a hot climate the opposite is true. If<br />

you dash around you heat up and that‟s bad news.<br />

The sun went down, the temperature dropped and they<br />

went out to sample the nightlife. Tim was keen to show David<br />

his old haunts. Their first stop was a nightclub where a<br />

difference of opinion had ended Tim‟s military career. The<br />

once famous venue dated from the 1890s and was a mar-<br />

velous example of the architecture of those days.<br />

Wooden pillars<br />

supported a castiron<br />

balcony. David<br />

was reminded of the<br />

old photographs in<br />

the suitcase - wom-<br />

en in long dresses<br />

and children in sail-<br />

or suits. He stopped<br />

for a while to ad-<br />

mire the ornate<br />

ironwork then fol-<br />

lowed Tim inside.<br />

77

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