Our trip to Peppermint Bay, Mr. Reid wanted to travel on the coast and see where Truganini had lived and where she swam in the ocean. He was just stunned that anyone would swim in the ocean here, far too cold he thought, I just cant believe that she swam here, he said again and again. We talked of how people might grease themselves with seal fat or something similar and that would act as an insulation against the cold. A friend Warren Boyles drove us up to Mt. Wellington and it snowed only very small amount but my guys, Ruby and Mr. Reid would not get out of the car ..... no way they said.
Mr. Reid was not only the best painter of stories, he was the best story teller ... his audience would gather around him enthralled by his personal magic, his enthusiasm and and joy in his stories and culture, his eagerness to know about the rest of the world.
