My Name is Walter

In 1956, I asked Mrs Rex White, owner of the Melbourne Cup winner Evening Peel, “Mrs White, how do you put up with Dad’s swearing on the telephone?”

She looked at me, puzzled. “Walter, swear? Oh Brian, Walter doesn’t swear.”

Later, I tried again with Mrs Challis Tanner, the stunning postmistress from Angledool. Same question. Same answer: “Walter Stallworthy swear? Oh no, Brian, Walter doesn’t swear.”

I gave up after that.

That was my father—Walter Stallworthy. A man whose language was as clean as his reputation was colourful. Once, I called a local chap a “bludger” in our kitchen. Dad sent me flying through the wall with a single blow—not out of anger, but to make one thing clear: “Never use that word in this house again.” I never did.

My Name is Walter is a collection of my fondest memories of Dad—funny, heartwarming, and true stories from his larger-than-life days in our hometown of Collarenebri, Australia. Through these short tales, you’ll meet a man who left a lasting mark on everyone he met, without ever uttering a curse.