Although there was not many vehicles about in those days (1940's), Sarah would have to get up from her bed during the night and attend to her duty. For this, she was paid the princely sum of sixpence (5 cents) per day.

Patrick was a very strong man. When he required fuel for their fuel stove or open fire, he would walk for miles along the railway track and pick up an old railway sleeper and carry it home on his shoulder. On one occasion he carried half an eletric light pole to his home, a distance of about 1 kilometre. Regularly, a steam train would stop, and the driver would shovel some coal from the engine, down the embankment into Patrick's yard for use on the fire.

The story goes that Patrick was startled by a cat which had jumped from the roof of his back-yard shed and had landed on the jagged rim of a 44 gallon drum, tearing its belly open. Patrick replaced the innards, and sewed the cat up with a bag needle and string. The cat survived the ordeal, and after a short while, was once again on the run.

Patricks' son, Robert was on the receiving end of a whipping being administered by the local bread carter. This was taking place at the railway gates at Concord West. Patrick was upstairs at his residence. He saw what was happening to his son. He yelled a warning to the bread carter who subsequently called to Patrick, "You'll get the same you old bastard." Well Patrick nearly tore the verandah down. He ran down the stairs, and at this stage the bread carter was sitting atop the railway gates. Patrick swung a punch and knocked the bloke unconscious and he was left lying on the railway line. The carter never returned to Concord West again.

One time in the 1930s when Patrick was living in Kincumber, he was chopping wood when the axe slipped making a nasty cut in his instep. He grabbed some cobwebs and filled the deep cut and applied a rag for a bandage, and then rowed a boat down the coast and through the heads into Sydney Harbour, moored the boat at the Quay, and then staggered up the hill to Sydney Hospital.

Note: Patrick & Sarah first lived at an upstairs apartment situated on the north-eastern side of the railway gates, and later when Sarah was given the gate-keeping job they moved to 1 King Street which was located on the north-western side of the gates. Both of the residences were located on the northern side of Victoria Avenue.