WHO STOLE SKIPPY'S GRANDFATHER ?

New  Zealand  soldiers  in convoys  going  off  to   fight  in  WW11 went   ashore   at  Fremantle , Western  Australia ,  and  came back   with some  interesting  souvenirs.   These   included  a  number  of  shop signs , one about  12 feet  long  from “The  First  and  Last Store in Australia” which  received  a  lot  of  attention.   Apart  from  its  sign   ,  the shop  lost  its  large, stuffed   kangaroo which stood  at  the  entrance.   It   was  smuggled  aboard  the   Dunera  (later to bring out  the  unfortunate  “ Dunera   Boys”  from  England  )  by    Kiwis  and  was   seen  hopping  about  the  mess  deck  during  the   voyage to  Egypt .  Captain  F. L. Davis was  quoted  in  the   June,  l940    edition  of  The  Taranakian , journal of the New Plymouth  Boys  High School ,  as  saying   the kangaroo was  given  identity  discs  and  always  wore  a  lifebelt  on  ship’s inspections.   Eventually , the  kangaroo  was   promoted   to   lance- corporal .  Many  soldiers  wanted  to  take  the kangaroo  into  camp  with them in  Egypt,   but it  was decided  to send it  back  by  ship  to   Australia.  Nobody  seems  to  known  what  happened  to  the  much  travelled   ’roo.