Alan McKenzie grew up in the south-western quarter of the City of Adelaide observing the pageant of life in the City square mile - the gangsters of the East End, the Parklands' horse killer, the Central Market side shows - or atleast hearing of it on the City's bush wireless. After his father's death in about 1919, Alan's mother worked as a head-waitress for caterers. Alan McKenzie began casual work as a call boy at the Prince of Wales Theatre and a caterer's busboy while still at school. After having to leave school at fourteen years of age, he continued casual work in catering and had a succession of short-term, full-time jobs - with a printer, a consulting engineer, the PMG Department and Peoplestores - but during the Depression became dependent on all sort of casual work.

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