During the 'Dunstan Decade' in South Australia, Don Dunstan commissioned Adelaide painter Tom Gleghorn to do a mural for the newly upgraded and renovated arrivals hall at Port Adelaide.
Tom was at the height of his considerable powers and acknowledged as one of Australia's leading artists. Behind him in the mid-70s lay a string of some 30 awards, 34 solo exhibitions, representation in major Australian and international galleries and a record as an inspirational and innovative university and college teacher of art.
None of this recognition, however, had in any way blunted or inhibited his famously larrikin ways or had any impact on his long-haired, colourful and bejewelled appearance.
Accepting the commission, Tom enlisted the aid of Mitch, his best student, hired a large space in the Adelaide Hills village of Summertown, carted all the materials up there in Mitch's old ute and started work. The finished mural would be painted in sections in the improvised Summertown studio then pieced together on the wall of the Port Adelaide arrivals hall.
Once into their routine, Tom and Mitch would start work early, knock off around one for lunch then resume an hour or so later and work till late because the deadline was a tough one.
There was no pub in Summertown so each day they would drive the few kilometres to the next town, Uraidla, for a counter lunch. As always, Tom's first entrance into the front bar caused a mild and muffled sensation but his gregarious affability, wit and easygoing ways soon won over the locals.
When, after about a week of lunch time visitations the barman asked, 'What do you blokes do? You workin' round here?' Mitch explained they were painters and they were doing a job in Summertown.
Always fascinated by the passing parade and human foibles, Tom became absorbed in a drama that was part of the Uraidla pub's lunchtime routine. This was a daily game of pool between two of the locals, 'Moose' Maguire and 'Everyday' Albert. Moose was so called because he had a large and, some said, much too inquisitive nose. Albert's nickname, 'Everyday', was much more explicable. He had never missed a day at the pub.
But what interested Tom about Moose Maguire and Everyday Albert was that Albert never won a game of pool. Day after day they would square off at the table and day after day Moose would either clean him up or,