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Madge's niece Sylvia and her husband took over "San Marino" and lived in it for about a year until their own house, nearly opposite us in Tutus Street, was built: shortly after which "San Marino" was sold and the proceeds were applied towards the cost of completing No. 14 - Madge never gave it a name.
About the time I finished with Shell, Alan passed the Intermediate School Examination, left school and went up to work under his grandfather at "Plevna" for nearly eighteen months, thus getting some very valuable practical experience of farming and grazing from a man who had made a great success of it. He then returned to "San Marino" to motor daily to Ryde and attend the Agricultural School conducted there by the Sydney Telchnical College. He completed this short course, which enabled him to enter second year at the Wagga Agricultural College, go straight through into third year, and gain a diploma (with a good pass) at the end of it. His passing-out coincided with the end of Saxon's lease of "Afton Water" and he was able to occupy this property forthwith.
At the beginning of 1956, six months before No. 14 was finished, I had accepted a part-time (three days a week) position as Sales Engineer in Automatic Fire Sprinklers Pty Ltd, Mascot, manufacturers and installers of fire-fighting equipment. This job was offered to me by the Managing Director, William (Bill) Chisholm, a very old friend of mine. I was paid a good salary and generous entertainment and car allowances. During the remaining two week-days and most of the weekends I was in my old clothes working hard on the completion of the big house. On many nights I was working until well after midnight, taking out quantities, preparing wages sheets, placing orders and dealing with accounts.
The new employment at Mascot was quite interesting and it was certainly congenial as Bill Chisholm treated me more as an old pal than an employee. It was customary for us to taxi over to Kings Cross or to the city to have lunch together and at the close of day we often had drinks in company in the local pubs.