Haylen speaks about his early life at Amungula, near Sutton; origin of his family name; Dame Mary Gilmore, a family friend; army service during World War I; his anti-war views; working as a journalist at Sunday Times, Sydney Sun and Women's Weekly; his play Two Minutes' Silence; serving as member for Parkes, 1943 to 1963; impact of Petrov Affair; Arthur Calwell; Eddie Ward; Ben Chifley; 1949 coal strike; Justin O'Byrne; Nelson Lemmon; Don Cameron; practical joke played on Billy Wentworth; presentation of Cook journal to National Library; his opposition to state aid for Catholic schools; losing his seat. Pratt recites Haylen poems: Parkes 1963; Chifley's Grave.
