This is a story of gum trees, cobbled streets and long cups of tea shared between good friends. It is a story that spans over a century. It encompasses rural Victorian life in the early period of Australian settlement to life in the suburbs of Melbourne in the present day. This stirring tale captures the freedom of romping through native bushland and of sleeping under the stars. It is also a tale of waking up in a mice-ridden cellar and studying by the stub of a candle's glow. Jim's biography moves rapidly from one poignant account to another – a miraculous deliverance from addictive smoking, two world wars, life as a ganger on the railway and then as a Missioner to the 'lowest of the low' in Melbourne city. He lived for nearly twenty years among drunks, thieves, murderers and other hurting and damaged souls ravaged by alcohol abuse. James Collett drew the best out of each person he knew. He was 'Jim', 'Mr C', 'Uncle Jim,' 'Dad' and 'Grandpa'. By whichever name he was fondly and respectfully called, his legacy lives on. Jim's biography will inspire and change you. You will not be able to look at your world and life in the same way again. About reading this book: The story that you are about to read is in fact a story within a story. Or more accurately, a compilation of many stories – after all, our lives are made up of many moments and events. Some events have distinct beginnings and ends, while others just merge quietly into the next. Some events in our lives are more memorable than others while others are made memorable because we choose to grace them with our attention. As this particular story goes, it is a little of both . . . At the start of each chapter (and sometimes at the end as well) you will find what I call 'cameo conversations and exchanges' that have to do with more current events in Jim's life. These have been added to give you additional insight into Jim's character and relationships as well as giving you a peek at some 'behind the scenes' stuff. But, if you are only interested in a straight forward chronological narrative of this unique, yet typical-of-the-era Australian, skip those passages typeset in sans-serif text. You can come back to these later – if you wish. However, if you are up to the challenge, you could read it as it is . . . (For those familiar with The French Lieutenant's Woman as well as fans of the very popular TV series Lost and Once Upon a Time, this should not prove too daunting an approach.) I've tried to allow Jim's 'voice' to be reflected in his biography as much as possible. As such, minimal editing has been undertaken in the 'main' passages in order to preserve, wherever possible, the narrative style of an 'oral tradition'. REVIEWS Jim Collett's life which spans more than a century from his birth in 1902 with descriptions as a rural laborer appear far-fetched and removed from our comfortable, well-nourished lives today. His matter-of-fact descriptions of growing up in a large poor family in a rural town, his rudimentary schooling with few resources or books, the need to leave school early and find work far from home were in fact the norm for large numbers of his generation. Today's parents and young people would be shocked by the freedom young people had to roam the countryside with no supervision. Jim's life resonates with some of the anecdotes told to me of their earlier life, by my parents and their friends who also grew up in the country. Jim learnt the hard way that not all employers were humane or honest – yet his story bears no resentment. Jim's gentle, trusting nature shines through. Jim's recollections of life as a railway ganger records something of the lives of the men who hammered out the rail netwo