Basil John Meredith
Jack at “Anglebar” Girilambone in 1962
Basil was born at Parattah, Tasmania in 1882. He was known as Jack, George, Major, Bicycle Bill, Flaps and flour, depending on where he was at the time. Jack travelled around western NSW from about 1940 till his death in 1968, in the districts of Nyngan, Cobar, Brewarrina, Bourke, Walgett, Coonamble and Warren. It took him 2 to 3 years to make a full circuit of his area, staying up to a week at his favourite camping spots in the bush.
He served in the First World War, enlisting on the 28/8/1915 in Melbourne, whilst training there he was docked 36 days pay for drunkenness.. He served in the 4th Light Horse in Egypt and contracted severe conjunctivitis from dust while patrolling the Suez Canal, Jack spent weeks in hospital in Cairo before being returned to Australia on 16/8/1916. He was sent to England after recovering in early 1917 and joined the Anzac Provost Corps, and served at Headquarters in Amiens in France. He later transferred to the 13th Light Horse Regiment and spent the remainder of the war in France. He returned to Australia and left the army on 22/9/1919.
After the war he disappeared in Victoria and made his way into NSW, working in the bush. He never collected his war medals and was probably suffering from “shell shock”. He travelled the country and stayed out of towns, never getting a pension, accepting handouts of food from property owners and lifts to his next camping spot, putting his cart in the back of utes.
Below is from “Australian Outdoors” 1974
He died near Byrock on 26/7/1968 and is buried in Bourke Cemetery.