Wattle Creek is a typical Australian country town in the rapidly changing world of the 1960s - draft dodgers, mass migration of the young to the city, hippies, local industry dying and the once proud footy team struggling to keep up the numbers. Thank God 6 o'clock closing is now a thing of the past. Jock Hathaway, retired post master, his mind a whirr at the wonder of life's many mysteries, is never idle. Those around him can only watch in bemusement as we follow him on his latest venture. We meet many of the town folk and begin to see what makes a rural community tick. An inveterate handyman, always ready to help, particularly the ladies, he must also tend to the wishes of the wife's belligerent hospital-bound brother. All this, and managing his new scheme, is becoming a nightmare. Oh, and by the way, have I mentioned the son-in-law? Country life -- Australia -- Fiction. | Cities and towns -- Australia -- Fiction. | Retirees -- Australia -- Fiction. | Australian fiction. | Australian