Alice Springs 13th May 1901
My dear Billy the Birloot
I was glad to get your nice little letter old chap. I long ago used to call your mother "little old chap"; just ask her if she remembers it and tell me what she says. I am sending you some photographs of piccaninnies there are such a lot here and very few of them have any clothes. We have seen a great number of corroborees here and quite a big mob of blackies have assembled to see us
you won a prize from Miss Hague for being good, evidently you take after your father - Does Frank write to the girls at the school now? Has uncle Dick got a sweetheart yet? I don't ask him or he might blush and give you a hiding. We shall be on the road to Barrow CK when you are reading this - If you see any very pretty shells keep them for me - Kiss mother, Eily and little Kev for me and tell them not to forget me with heaps of love for yourself I am your loving father F.J.G.
We have distributed amongst them a lot of tomahawks and knives and I daresay they will start chopping each other’s heads off when we go away. Mother tells me you are getting on famously with your music lessons; I am so glad to hear this. You are a very good boy and so is Jack and I have asked Mother to give you 3d each for me. Make mother give Eily 3d too. I want to know what you think of little KEV, is he a good boy? You must tell me all about him when you write. Give Roy and Les my love and tell Roy I wish
he was with us to help with the camera. I hope you will soon get into first class. We have not seen any Alligators yet but we have seen a lot of big fat lizards and some snakes. It is so cold camping out at night we always get up at daylight when the magpies come and sing to us. I sleep in a hammock, the Professor has a little iron bed which can be taken to pieces and put on a pack horse. Kintore is such a big boy now he can ride like Roy and helps the men mustering cattle on Undoolya Station. I hope you clean up the yard nicely on Saturdays. I am glad that
