Author of Great Australian Outback Yarns Bill ‘Swampy’ Marsh has his own tales to spin, sharing with Deborah Knight one particularly awkward childhood moment.

As a young child, Swampy was ready to welcome home a war hero after his father sent home a note from the hospital.

“Well you could’ve guessed how I felt – I mean how many kids do you know who can proudly stand up and say that their dad’s got the VD?

“I imagine how he got it too , swinging from tree to tree, machine gun blazing, chucking hand grenades.

“And there was my mum, crying with relief that dad was still alive!”

Five-year-old Swampy’s mix-up eventually came to a head the day his dad arrived at the train station…

“Dad fainted, mum broke down again.”

Press PLAY below to hear Swampy’s hilarious childhood yarn

Image: Supplied