First sent to work at the age of eight, Facey lived the rough frontier life of a labourer, farmer and jackaroo, becoming lost and then being rescued by Indigenous trackers, then gaining a hard-won literacy. He survived Gallipoli, raised a family through the Depression, lost a son in the Second World War, and met his beloved Evelyn, with whom he shared nearly sixty years of marriage. Despite enduring unimaginable hardships, Facey always saw his life as a fortunate one.