Now retired and living in Coffs Harbour, Geddes had been in the media since 1956, writing for provincial, suburban and metropolitan newspapers in Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.

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He also scripted a variety of programs for the ABC’s Radio National and produced and directed a feature-length documentary film called “Bellingen: The Promised Land”, which screened at the 2021 Screenwave International Film Festival.

Born in 1938, the stunning observations of his early life are painted in “Peter’s Wars” in a matter of fact way, which makes the memoir both funny and sad.

“My mum told the butcher she wanted bones for the dog, but she was embarrassed ‘cause it was used for soups and stews for the family,” he told the News Of The Area.

“When I was a child, we were rationed, had blackouts, planes flew perilously low overhead.

“When you went into the city, guns had been placed in the major intersections and there were sandbags and windows taken out or boarded up.

“It was worse in Sydney with the Japanese bomber planes flying overhead.”

Geddes learnt that during this time in Coffs Harbour, the railway tunnel up north was protected from vandalism by a man with a pick handle employed by the Army 24/7 to fend off any Japanese saboteurs.

“That was the state of how we were financially.

“People today are not aware of what a war footing we were on here.”

Geddes stresses that the book is more about his mother’s experience.

“All the Australian men were fighting the war in the Middle East and Europe, so women were dancing with little boys or old men… and entertaining Yanks.

“American soldiers were glamorous and they were moneyed, and [they] could afford to get a taxi to go and buy sly grog.

“Whereas our boys were paid very little and only had enough to buy two bottles of beer a week.

“The Yanks were more used to dealing with women, whereas our men were out with their mates and didn’t really socialise with women.

“They were down the pub and the women were at home looking after the baby, the house and the grandparents.”

By Mary KEILY