For two years, Bodalla’s Dusty Orford wouldn’t go out his front door.
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“I was at the lowest of a low ebb; the black dog had the better of me,” Mr Orford said
“I was going to finish it. I was going to top myself.”
The ex-serviceman and Vietnam Vet credits the Narooma Men’s Shed for his turnaround.
“From day one I was enveloped and a made a part of the process,” he said.
“I got in with these blokes and it’s just like belonging to a family.”
In his youth, Mr Orford had apprenticed as greenkeeper – helping build the Mollymook golf course.
“Part of the deal was they had to find me a job; they sent me to Scott’s College, but I couldn’t stand living in the city,” he said.
Mr Orford returned to family on the South Coast.
“My family built the saw mill at Nerrigunda – back in 1951 – but when I came back my dad had sold everything,” he said.
I was buggering up my job; my boss told me to go home.
- Dusty Orford
Mr Orford joined the navy.
“You had to join for nine years back then, and every time I looked to come out, they offered another plum,” he said.
Twelve years of navy life found Mr Orford divorced, 15 saw him remarried.
“I discussed it with my wife; after 20 years you get the golden handshake,” he said.
“I thought, ‘well bugger it, I’ll go the 20’.”
Most of those 20 years was spent away from Australia as a fitter and turner. After leaving the navy, Mr Orford found himself building golf courses in China.
“I was there on a 12-month contract but ended up staying for four years.”
Then Post Traumatic Stress Disorder hit.
“I was buggering up my job; my boss told me to go home.”
Home was a block in Bodalla, but the black dog lived there too.
From day one I was enveloped and a made a part of the process
- Dusty Orford
“My wife wouldn’t let me go fishing – she was frightened I wouldn’t come home,” Mr Orford said.
Eighteen months at the shed has changed all that: “I am back doing things.”
It’s a two-way street; Mr Orford uses his mechanics and training skills to teach others. As one shedder exclaimed: “Dusty is a bloody living legend!”
If you are experiencing anxiety or depression, call Lifeline 131114, or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.