Dooley on the Running Board

Clyde Adams – Perth Western Australia 2002

Back in the forties, the Police activities for the area were based at the Nungarin Police Station. The man in charge was Sergeant Dooley Beard, who lived there with his wife plus daughters Gloria and Valda.

He drove one of those old-style motor vehicles, square shaped with open window space and running boards along the side. Since he covered many miles each week, visiting other towns such as Mukinbudin, it was obviously kept in top condition.

Mukinbudin was his regular Friday location and very frequently he would pick up an Adams or two, to do their weekly shopping. In fact, the Beards and the Adamses were great friends (I loved Valda, but she was a little too old for a ten-year old) and Mrs Beard sometimes stopped off at Mangowine to visit our Mum.

One Friday Sergeant Beard was a little late coming back to get her, so we kids were given the job of keeping a look-out at the kitchen (almond tree) end of the house. I remember that Mrs Beard looked very shocked when my younger brother came running in yelling “Here they come! Here they come! And old Dooley’s sitting on the running board.”

She didn’t know, of course, that we had a big hunting dog called Dooley who had raced up the road to greet the car, and accepted a ride back.