The Story of an Ordinary Hero, Alec Griffiths 1900 - 1995
Alec Griffiths was one of Australia's longest-lived World War One veterans. Alec was a witness to almost all of the twentieth century, and the incredible changes that is brought.
'Until a Dead Horse Kicks You' is the story of a young bloke who grew up in Grafton with few privileges; who enlisted in the army when he was just sixteen only to experience horrors he had not dreamt of. In his role as a wireless operator with the Australian Flying Corps, Alec participated in more battles than almost any other Australian soldier. After the war, with his Scottish war bride, Alec faced new challenges at home: the Great Depression, another World War and raising a family. He was the first person in the world to patent the design for the campervan, and he invented a machine that rolled and taped newspapers for delivery.
Throughout his life, with his philosophy of "Never say die until a dead horse kicks you", Alec was an inspiration to all those whose lives he touched. A particularly moving part of the book deals with Alec's determination to return to the killing fields of the Western Front to find his best mate Bob's grave.
