Cornishman Ken

Ken, who with his wife, Beryl, lives a couple of doors down the road from us, was once a mover and shaker on the club, pub and hotel scene back in the Old Dart, for a while in Bodmin. What was to be a turning point for all the family came when No. 1 son fell for an Australian girl appearing at one of the clubs, and left with her for Down Under. It turned out wedding bells were not rung - but the son liked the place, stayed on and before long was married to someone else. Ken and Beryl had a long holiday with him, and rather fancied the near-constant blue skies. "It was raining when we left England and still raining when we got back," says Ken.

The couple sold their business and retired to Australia - first making sure their other son and their daughter were up for the move too. Ken was not quite finished with hostelries, though. He saw a niche in a tourist village in Canberra and helped No. 1 son set up a traditional English pub, the George Harcourt Inn; it continues to be a thriving attraction today, though no longer in the family's hands.

Ken, a jovial soul, and his good-natured Beryl are now happily established in Batemans Bay. When I popped round today, the aroma wafting from the house told me Beryl had just pulled a batch of Cornish Pasties from the oven. Ken prefers to be far from the kitchen. His passion these days is restoring furniture, and I found him where he often is, in his garage workshop, attending to some upholstery.

Ken was 54 when he retired and migrated to Australia. That was 33 years ago. You do the sums. And look at him!