A Fortunate Life

At eight years old, an impoverished Bert Facey was forced to start the backbreaking, dawn-to-dusk life of a farm labourer.

At last, fortune seems to smile on young Bert. He goes to work for the Phillips, a childless couple who treat him as one of the family.

Bert's relationship with his mother is both sweet and sour, but mostly sour. He has been toughened by years of hard work which has made him almost totally self-reliant.

Bert joins Mickey Finn's Boxing Troupe as a prize fighter. Touring Australia as a heavyweight, he never loses a bout. When World War I breaks out, Bert rushes to enlist.