Q and A with Akoonah Park Men’s Shed member and children’s author Paul Dekmetzian

Paul Dekmetzian authored the children's series The Adventures of Cargo the Army Truck. Photo: Stewart Chambers 277740_02

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

Poppy the Cavoodle sits at the laptop with me when I am working. Have to stop her licking my face!

What do you love about writing children’s books?

Children are very clever and I am hoping to create a story or illustration that they won’t forget.

What would your last meal be?

Mushroom pizza with hot salami and anchovies with a pint of Carlton Draught!

What is your most memorable moment?

Finally obtaining Cargo’s Road Worthy Certificate from Banlay’s Trucks Dandenong and driving off home.

What event past or present would you like to witness?

The opening of the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii on 30 May 1962.

Which three guests, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner?

Elvis Presley, Winston Churchill and Frank Sinatra.

What are you currently listening to, watching or reading?

Watching sea turtles having the barnacles removed and their shells cleaned on YouTube.

If you had to compete on MasterChef, what dish would you cook?

Steak au Poivre – Pepper steak with a seasoned sauce and flambeed with cognac.

What is your dream holiday destination?

Skagway, Alaska.

What were you like as a kid?

Naughty and a little precocious.

What was your first job?

Drinks waiter in an Italian restaurant.

What’s one question that you have always wanted answered?

What really happened to Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt?