Synopsis
‘Oddfellow’ was a rare bird. He came from a country of rare birds: New Zealand. He was also the author’s late father and remains etched in the author’s memory.
Returning from World War 2 on a Hospital Ship, Oddfellow, over 50% disabled, was told he would never work again, that one of his kidneys needed removing, and that he may only live two years. He ignored the warnings, and went on to raise four children and run successful investment and manufacturing businesses for thirty years, with one of his war buddies. He seldom visited a doctor, never smoked or drank, and when he finally passed away 34 years after the second world war had finished, his wife still received a war widows pension until her own death and burial in the same plot, 26 years later. Yet for her, it wasn’t the first burden of war.
David Zaccheus takes us on a roller coaster ride of his life with his eccentric father who, in his own quest for meaning, dedicated his life to the building of the temple within. By journey’s end Oddfellow had become a pillar of society and civic leader; who lectured at the British Institute of Pyramidology in London, travelled prolificly; and who basically re-defined the term ‘work ethic’.
All this from a childhood wrought with it’s own tragedy, but always so positioned that the hand of fate would provide the link. The headmaster that paid Oddfellow’s high school graduation exam fee was one of the first, but not the least, of the silent helpers.
Oddfellow was a hard act to follow, but what are we to take on from our parents, in the name of wisdom? Does the glory of our fathers, make war okay? David Zaccheus finds resolution within this very personal conflict, by examining the effect of war and conflict, within. David reveals the emotional effects of a distant war upon a small boy otherwise considered to have been raised in a privileged and secure envionment, in one of the most peaceful nations on earth.
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