Six weeks after completing my apprenticeship as an electrical fitter, an offer came for me to join the Kangaroos - an ex-army, all male variety show in Brisbane.     George Wallace Junior was the comic.    So I resigned from the N.S.W. railways.    Standing waiting for a taxi at home to take me there, a telegram boy handed me a telegram which read “Don’t need you.”  
What to do next?   I tossed a coin to go north or west, and it fell to go north.   I intended to join some friends in North Queensland, but as I passed through Brisbane, I went to the theatre anyway and the manager, Jimmy Wallace said "Oh, you’re here!"   He contracted me as a utility person.   This lasted 6 weeks.  
Back in Sydney I started hand balancing with a new partner and we took a contract to join the Buddy Williams Rodeo in Burnie Tasmania for 4 weeks.   It lasted 18mths and finished in Northampton Western Aust.
My next show  opened in Auckland, “Fanny Get Your Fun.”  Art Luden was the comic.  After touring both islands, mu partner and I parted ways and I got an offer to be a comic in a small variety show solo, billed as “Eddie Ash, that funny fellow".   We played one night stands in the North Island till Royston, a ventriloquist. who owned the show took ill, and we closed.  
Soles Circus was where I taught myself to stand on my head on the bar of the trapeze.   Whilst there, I poured a drink and drank it up instead of down; spun rings on arms and legs, and played a small harmonica which I swallowed.   When I stood upright I pulled the harmonica out of my throat with a long string.
I joined Harold Raymond in the Variety show in aid of the Royal Blind Society of Sth. Aust.   He was blind from birth, but still directed everyone to the various billets.   He played the violin for his act and compered the show.    We were doing shows in six different towns a week.
In Sydney I worked different venues including the Tatler theatre where George Wallace senior was the comic.   Then one day when I was hanging around the stage I was told "Hot Ice" is opening in Auckland in six weeks”.    This was an ice show and II couldn’t even skate, but I practised hard and auditioned in time to join the show.    In this act I  juggled, did a round off six flipflaps, got onto the trapeze and stood on my head, drank, played the clarinet, spun rings on arms and legs whilst swinging upside down, and finished with a somersault onto the ice - all whilst wearing skates.  
 David Martin gave me a 12 mths. contract. We opened in Auckland N.Z. That was in 1953 and Edmund Hillary was giving a talk and slide show of their Mt. Everest climb.   I managed to get to this between shows, and my love of mountains was born.

This photo shows me juggling on ice and was part of the act I developed.   It was so unique that in 1954 I was booked to perform in England without even having an audition