Rare book survives Mitchell flood

Doug's metal lathe is one of his treasures and was, unfortunately, covered in flood water when the Maranoa River burst its banks in February.  Along with his lathe, a valuable book called 'How to Run a Lathe' was also lost.


Yesterday, however, Doug found this book in a plastic bag, in amongst a pile of rubble. He has dried it carefully and is photographed separating the pages.

This 1942 edition was produced in order to teach men and women how to use a lathe.  This was a WW2 effort as aircraft and motor vehicles were in short supply.  The original edition was produced in 1914 -- a WW1 effort.  


For Doug, he finds it explains everything about metal lathes in a clear and easy to follow way.  It's his Bible!  Drying it out and separating the mud stained pages with a knife has been just one of Doug's hundreds of post-flood tasks.


Doug's workshop is now clean and well-organised -- which makes him a happy man!