Eric John Mutton was a Gosport (Hampshire, England) lad. Born 1921 into an ordinary middle-class family, he eagerly joined the Royal Navy in 1939, being posted to India and Ceylon with the Fleet Air Arm.

Post-war, Eric had various jobs, all connected with the sea. The loss of a young son in 1951 preceded a move to Dovercourt (Essex) where, in 1953, he and his wife Rene endured the North Sea flood when their home was badly damaged. This contributed to their decision to emigrate to Australia in 1958 as Ten Pound Poms.

In Hobart, Tasmania, he held various jobs, including Shipwright Surveyor with the Hobart Marine Board. After running his retail, boat building and marine survey business, he worked for some years at the Cadbury chocolate factory. He retired in 1980.

At a loss after his wife died in 1988, Eric undertook community work and was elected to the Brighton Council. Several relaxing years at idyllic Opossum Bay were interspersed by adventures not normally associated with a man of his years.

Finally moving to a retirement village in 2004, Eric enjoyed two peaceful years. He died in 2006, an ‘ordinary bloke’ with, at times, an extraordinary story.