Terry Carter
Born 1936
Carter’s Kingdom
 
I'm Jewish. And my wife's Church of England. My oldest daughter is a Mormon. My next daughter is a Catholic. My granddaughter is Lutheran. When we had the children we told them to choose whatever they like.
We just celebrate, we celebrate with the lot of them. It's incredible. We carry on just as we are now; just talking and laughing and joking. If they want to say a bit they say a bit, and if they don’t want to say a bit then we don't worry, don't bother me.
 
My mother was Hebrew, was married to my father who was a Catholic.
I've got my beliefs; I don’t need a synagogue.  I'll wear a skullcap, but I don't need it. I don't follow the faith. I use it to my own convenience. I enjoy the bits I enjoy, and I don’t do the bits I don’t enjoy. The only thing I believe now is my God, which is your God and everybody else’s. I don't give a damn. And my rings and my jewellery is all done like this, see I don't never, ever fail to let people know that I'm Jewish. Wearing a skullcap is recognition that God is looking at me all the time and I'm looking at God.
 
I've had a wonderful life; I could not have wished for more. And I think if my mum was still around now she’d be very proud of me. I hope.
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Terry proposed to his wife the night that he met her after admiring her lovely feet. 64 years later they’re still deeply in love. Even if she now has crusty old feet.
 
Terry and his family moved out to Australia in the early 1970s. They had initially requested Africa but due to the Rhodesia embargo their application was turned down. After a row one night he said, ‘do what you bloody like’ and came home that night to be thrust papers ‘sign these’. I thought she wanted a divorce. I’d had enough of her, I signed them. Then she told me she’d sold the house in one day and bought them tickets to Australia. They were leaving in 3 weeks.
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Terry is a hilarious, engaging guy with an absolute joy for life. He has lived five lives with his diverse careers: from bodybuilding, smash repairs, weddings cars, English council candidates, building car bodies, working on the Japanese Gardens at Expo 88, the 1982 Commonwealth Games, and as the overseer of Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens.