Melbourne, Australia

2 August 45.

Dear Jean & Mary:

I sent you a cable today to say that my address is to be

c/o Lt. Col D. Macdonald

Office of Chief Engineer

GHQ, AFPAC, AP0500

am hoping that when I get there, there will be a letter from you, with luck, if you get my cable and understand it, a letter written right away should catch me.

I note that my last to you was from Kandy Ceylon. Well I flew from there direct to Perth, W. Australia, non-stop last Monday & Thursday - the trip took 19 ¼ hours - just an hour longer than my flight from Scotland across the Atlantic to Montreal just about 2 years ago. The Ceylon-Australia hop is supposed to be the longest service hop in the world. It was rather thrilling - but timing and weather was not too good, the trip was done in a good old Liberator - wonderful aircraft. Had a Sunday in Colombo before leaving Ceylon, and spent most of it swimming in the ocean - great fun in the large knockers. got a real good sun burn which has cleared up a batch of pimples which had been very persistent on my back & shoulders. Truly the sun is one of my necessities of Life. It seems that in spite of being in the tropics I have had very little opportunity to sunbathe - on the move all the time, or busy visiting people. Then in India the Monsoon dominates the whole land, which means clouds & rain.

I guess I told you that I really fell in love with Ceylon. Someday we three will have to do a trip there, and to NW India. We flew right across Australia from Perth to Melbourne in one long day, Wednesday. We touched down at several places [?] and had a good look at the rather monotonous stretch as far as Adelaide - which was a patch of sparkling lights in the dark.

Melbourne is a city of over 1 million people. I expect to be here for about a week more, and then they have planned a most interesting trip for me to the North - From Manilla, I am hoping to be able to fly to Hawaii - and then continue on to good old N. America. Have cabled London today for permission to carry on home from Manilla, via Hawaii - Am fairly optimistic that they will say o.k. but you never know. They may order me to dead head all the way back to the U.K. If that is the case, it will be a tremendous disappointment to all three of us - However dear, keep your fingers crossed.

Until I got here, I was unable to send a definite address up very little is known about things in this part of the world by all the people I've seen farther West. I could hardly have expected any mail from you - but I did get a good batch at SACSEA in Ceylon.

Of course it is winter here - mid winter - this is now the 3rd winter I've had in 1945, one in England, one in S. Africa, and one here. Just now the weather in Melbourne is black and wet, very like similar weather in Victoria during the winter. My stay is proving quite interesting, altho my official hosts don't do much in the social side in the evenings. In S. Africa I was taken out to meet the [?] & families, which makes a welcome change. Well dear - I'll keep you posted - and God bless you both

Love

Ger.