SLEPT OUTSIDE FOR 26 YEARS

Hawera Star, Volume L, 21 February 1931, Page 16

SLEPT OUTSIDE FOR 26 YEARS

Except Once—Then He Caught Cold

VyHILB November storms have raged, Michael Barry, a veteran of 7b, has roughed it in. the open, living according to his custom of the past 25 .iears, in a hedge I His modest '“nfpartment” consists of one or two pieces of old iron fixed «ip jn a hedge in Ashley Lane, near Hendon. - He sleeps on a couch of ■..rneJten and straw.

1. found Michael to-day trudging along the lane where he lives-, whistling cheerfully (writes a “Sunday Chonicle” correspondent). “Good morning, Michael,’’ 1 said, “hows the open-air life this sort ol weather?” “Oh, I don’t mind the rain,” he replied . “I’m used to it. The ram wets you, the sun and wind dry you, and it’s aJJ the same. 1 get along all right.” He explained. An old soldier (he won the D.C.M. while in the R.R.A.,i

he found houses stuffy when he left the army after years of campaigning and sleeping under canvas. ;So ho found himself a nice quiet piece of land, -rigged up a little shelter to keep out some of the worst of Hie weather, and he has lived like that ever since.

For a living he makes walking sticks and sometimes picks up an odd job of work. “Oh, it’s the only way to live to be happy,” the old man chuckled. “I wouldn’t live in a house. It’s not healthy. I haven’t slept indoors for 23 years, except once, and then, drat it, I took the only cold I had in my life.” . That, he added, was once when he was invited to take a job as nightwatchman in a house that was being built. He slept inside the house, caught a chill, and threw up the job next day.