I spoke to Alan earlier today, and he has filled me in on the Uncle who built the little cottage in Tarnagulla.
There was a small stone cottage built in this area by mum's uncle Bert Bell (Nana's brother), and this could well be it. Dad did catch up with him in the late '60s, which would have been about the time that I recall visiting this little cottage in Tarnagulla. This is the only memory I have of this, but I do recall both mum and dad explaining the word eccentric to me at this time, and I remember feeling quite proud to have a relative who had built such a gorgeous little house with stone from the creek bed. Perhaps this is where the inspiration to build a mudbrick house came from years later?
Apparently, as the story goes, he lied about his age to enter the army in WW1 because he was too young...and then went on to lie about his age in WW2 as he was too old. He also rode his bicycle all the way to Melbourne, for prostate surgery! The family did not keep in touch with him, but apparently dad found an article about him in a magazine while visiting the Holden dealership in Burwood many years ago, and the visit that we made to him followed this.
