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My father brought these objects back from the Middle East during the Second World War. The sphinx was bought in Cairo and was carved, my father assured me, from a chunk of the original alabaster which once coated the Great Pyramid. I’m not sure whether my father believed this or not, but I certainly did, and through it I felt a direct link with the mysteries of the ancient past. The pot was also bought in Cairo, and the vase in Columbo during the long sea voyage back to Australia. Soon after returning he was sent to the war in New Guinea and survived the Kokoda Trail. My father died thirty years ago and these objects, his war
medals, and a few old photographs are all I have left of him,
but through them I feel that he and his stories are always with
me |