| G'day!!
My name is Peter Stone, and I used to be more active than this. As a photographer
and travel writer, and part-owner of a dive travel agency I managed to
dive most of the better locations in Australia, the Pacific and South-East
Asia. But that was a few years back. I still travel but restrict most of
my photography and writing to top-side subjects, and have become the quintessential
arm-chair diver. Oceans Enterprises takes up most of my time now, both
with the publishing and distribution of books. I generally have a writing
project on the go. My major effort was a war history, Hostages
to Freedom - The Fall of Rabaul, which commenced as a shipping and
salvage book and grew into an historical document on World War 2. That
was published in 1995 and received excellent reviews. It is now in its
second edition. My most recent effort, as far as diver publications is
concerned, is the update and release of Dive Australia,
now in its fourth edition. Prior to that I released a book on the
world's largest most accessible shipwreck, the SS President Coolidge,
wrecked in New Hebrides (Vanuatu) in October 1942. The
Lady and the President has, I am pleased to say, also received excellent
comment and is now in its second printing. This year I also edited and
prepared a war history on one of our World War 2 heroes, Frank Holland.
Called El Tigre, it covers operations
in New Britain, Timor and Borneo. In 1996 I wrote and published a history
of our local health service, Splendid Isolation,
which was a commission assignment. Other publications have included Dive
Australia, High and Dry, Australia's Island Shipwrecks (with Jack Loney),
Rabaul's Forgotten Fleet (with Monica Foster), and a Pisces guide,
Snorkelling
and Diving Australia Southeast Coast and Tasmania. I am currently working
on an Encyclopedia of Australian Shipwrecks - not very cretive but worthwhile
I would hope. My underwater and topside photography is available through
Pacific Stock, a photo library
based in Hawaii. You can see some of my underwater stuff on my
portfolio.
Back
in 1990 I decided to leave Melbourne, my home town, and live in sunny Queensland.
On the way however I found a delightful town, Yarram,
in eastern Victoria and bought an old building built in 1896 as a hotel,
called the Federal Coffee Palace. This was my home with wife Wendy, and
office and display for Oceans Enterprises, until early 1999. Then a true
miracle happened. My beautiful son Sam
was born, so we bought and moved to a delightful rural property only ten
minutes from Yarram. Now I commute to the office as so many people do -
but I never see a traffic-light, and if there are two cars at the intersection
before me, it is a traffic jam.
We
have since constructed a restaurant/wine bar/coffee shop in the Federal
Coffee Palace. I am active in town affairs, a member of Rotary International,
and enjoy the tranquility of country life and the marvellous people.
 |
But enough of this rubbish.
What you really want to know is, who is that wonderful fellow with me in
the photograph. That is my beautiful Baxter, an L.B.T. (Loveable Bull Terrier),
the most beautiful dog that I have had the pleasure of meeting. Those who
have ever known a bully, and have treated them well, know only too well
that they are a most remarkable dog. Baxter (named after a French movie
based on a bull terrier), was a most delightful and happy animal to be
with. He loved people, especially children, and was always full of life
and a pleasure to be with. Sadly, this all ended in August 1996. We noticed
he was sluggish for a while, and when he went to the vet, he never returned
home. After five days of medication and an operation, he went into a coma
and died of a rare blood disease. At least we had the pleasure of his company
for five of the six years of his life. But we miss Baxter terribly.Would
we ever have another bull terrier? Not for a long time. They say that once
you have had a bully, you rarely have another one, simply because they
each have a very special character. They simply cannot be replaced.
We now have another wonderful dog, Gracie, a boxer/kelpie (Australian cattle
dog) cross, who is in many respects just as loveable as Baxter. |
. |
.
