He only recently learned of his full name, Gordon Hill, and his date of birth. He used to be called Number 29.
You
see Hilly was placed in the Catholic St Joseph’s orphanage in Ballarat
when he was very young. He was just a number to them. And when, in his
early teens, they needed to make room for the new-comers, they
heartlessly kicked him out. Number 29 was around 14yo at the time, all
alone in this world, left to fend for himself. St Joseph’s gave him the
meagre sum of two shillings and nine pence, enough money to pay to
return by post the suitcase they lent him. Because he couldn’t read, he
didn’t realise he was meant to return it. So he kept it. He still
proudly has the suitcase.