But tell us a little bit about those early years of the Country Party and who actually formed it and where did it form, the Country Party?

Well it largely grew, as I understand it, out of the Farmers and Graziers group… …who were just a lobby group really.

And I think when Earl stood he stood under their banner… …even though he was an independent.

He was a member of the Farmers and Graziers.

And quite a few of them were in that category I believe.

So they all ended up in Canberra in the 1919 election… But prior to that in New South Wales I believe there were... ...there was sort of the equivalent of a country party.

But it didn't exist at the federal level.

Why did you find your way, what was it about public service that put you in there in the first place but more importantly kept you in there for so long? What was it? That's a