Going from one place to another became his life for the next year and a half. Chappy knew nothing about the progress of the war, but in his journeying witnessed the comings and goings of uniformed servicemen and army vehicles.

During the next summer harvest, he was able to mingle with migrant workers and find paid work. He spoke to no one and nor was he spoken to. He bought a blanket from a surplus store, which helped him to survive the next winter but didn’t save him from beatings. In the following cold season, he became ill and unable to work. One day he woke to find himself in a hospital bed wearing a pair of striped pyjamas and wondering what had happened to his bike. There were people observing him, questioning him, voices getting louder and louder with each repetition, as if decibels would aid his understanding. Though he guessed what they wanted, there wasn’t any information about himself that he felt like giving. He was too sick for that.

The hospital authorities decided to bring in an interpreter, so went to Mr Lee to ask for assistance. Mr Lee was a Chinese man, owner of several stores in town. He mingled with other business people and attended town meetings. Chappy didn’t know the name of the man or why he was there in the hospital. All Chappy knew was that there was an exchange at his bedside, between a Chinese man with gold in his teeth who was dressed in a three-piece suit and clutched a bowler hat, and the hospital sister. At one stage the Chinese man had folded himself in half, laughing. After this folding there was confusion and further exchange.

Not long afterwards, Chappy found himself in the local lockup, before being taken under escort to Somes Island as a prisoner of war. That’s all he had told his wife about the time between pedalling away from name-calling stone-throwers, and the time of his arrest.

Was there more to know? Instead of bad-mooding round the place, Oriwia decided to leave others in charge of the bakery and go and find out. She thought she’d be setting up a tearoom by this time and had worked out how she was going to finance it, but there was too much else on her mind. She went on a journey.

‘Grandson, I took notes. I’m going to find them and write the story for you.’