Acclaimed by Marjorie Lawrence in her autobiography 'the most enthusiastic and diligent seeker of good voices I have ever met', Thorold Waters is internationally known as music critic and adjudicator. However, his experiences have included much more than that. As journalist - a uniquely precocious one at fourteen - he spent many days with William 'Billy' Hughes in the umbrella repairs shop in a Sydney suburb, and also won plaudits from Federation's father, Sir Henry Parkes. As an operatic, oratorio and recital vocalist he won distinction in England, Scotland and Ireland. In the First World War he was a chief inspector of the London Special Constabulary, and later adjutant of a British battalion in Egypt. His close touch with Nellie Melba (some provocative letters of hers are in this volume), the great baritone Santley, Toti dal Monte, Kreisler, Beecham, Percy Grainger, Ada Crossley, Amy Castles, and many other musical celebrities has resulted in numerous entertaining stories and vignettes. There are close-ups of his train journey with King George V and Queen Mary in 1901, the opening of the Federal Parliament (he is sole survivor of its original press reporters), the League of Nations, the Duke of Windsor and his St James Palace entourage, Deakin, Monash, Lord Robert Cecil, Sir Hubert Wilkins and the pioneer Australian flights, Henry Lawson, Victor Daley, 'Bulletin' Archibald, 'Chinese' Donald, David Syme, and a host of public characters, Australian and overseas.