 He was good friends with Ernest Buckmaster who lived in Warrandyte at the time as they both had mutually respect for one another's work and similar views of true impressionist art versus the then open flare buoyant abstract fashion trend, this put them at odds with the then current establishment.In the true sense Douglas was quiet rebellious and held firm to his beliefs to not slip into the easy flowing abstract surrealism of the early 1900s.By 1961 he had eight children to support (Jeff, Graeme, Madeleine, Michael, Francesca, Paul, Kevin and Lisa) and was forced to continue working as a commercial artist with various companies, while pursuing his true interest in his own time.