In the early years of the aqueduct, the whole system had, if my memory serves me right, was segregated into I think 10 sections. Or you had a section every 10 miles.

So you would have at least two, sometimes three caretakers who would manage their 10-mile section.

You know, and part of their ongoing management included everything from grounds management, to wildlife management, to cleaning off gratings and you know all that vegetation type management as well.

In the early days there was a section, you looked after one complete section.

You know, there would be the O'Shannassy section, then it would be the Cement Creek section, then it would be the Warburton section, then it would be the Millgrove section, and all that, right through as far as you go, right through to Wondin or right through to Silvan Reservoir.

Each section had a series of caretakers’ huts and those huts would have everything from, I guess a fireplace, to even, if they were next to a grating, they could even have a bed in them.

Because the caretakers could spend all night on a grating in a storm event, cleaning off the grates. So they would quite often sleep in those huts and make a fire to keep warm.

If I go back a bit, my cousin had an old EJ utility and he used to take me up to his farm up at Acheron, and we used to up the old Black Spur Road and past Maroondah Reservoir when I was thirteen years of age, you know.

So you wouldn't believe, years later, you would be end up working up there.

You would never believe that, would you really, yeah?