'Dr Ian Cameron, of Bourke, phoned me at the end of September 1993 to say that he was admitting Bill Reid to the district hospital for blood transfusions. Bill, at 76, was severely affected by a leukaemic illness. I immediately drove to Bourke, to find that Bill was not responding to the treatment. It was clear that his illness was terminal. He was cheerful, however, and made plans to visit me in Sydney for a holiday during the coming summer. He was in the custom of spending a couple of weeks at my home in Sydney each year, looking over the sea at Malabar. Bill died shortly afterward. We were both glad that I had visited him in time.' (Introduction)
