By Anne-Marie, 78. Henley Beach, SA My journey to Australia was a drawn-out odyssey. I first left France to work in Africa. In Zambia, I taught English as a second language in a boarding school near the source of the Zambezi River, where my son was born. During a holiday I travelled south to the border… Continue reading The Smoke That Thunders
Category: SA
My Weirdo Brother Jerome
By Briony, 63. Adelaide, SA If you were to position my brother Jerome on the autism spectrum, he would be in the mesosphere! Now, before you judge me on the title of this piece, my family are proud of Jerome’s weirdness. There was nothing bland or mediocre about him and the rest of us are… Continue reading My Weirdo Brother Jerome
Bread and Dripping, Mushrooms, and Fresh Blackberries
By Lindsey-Jane, 70. Adelaide, SA These are just a few of the snacks and meals that we enjoyed as children in the 1950s. Today, some have been adapted to be more health-conscious for future generations, and others have simply vanished, which is a bit sad. As a child growing up in Australia in the 1950s,… Continue reading Bread and Dripping, Mushrooms, and Fresh Blackberries
Journey Through World War II
By David, 84. Hackney, SA I was born in Guernsey, in the Channel Islands, not far from the French coast. In 1939, dad accepted a call to a church in Ilford, a suburb of London, because he believed the Germans would invade the Channel Islands once the war started. He was right. The German occupation… Continue reading Journey Through World War II
Body and Soul
By Sue, 68. Aberfoyle Park, SA Hello, Miranda. Knew you'd be in sooner or later for your makeover. It was only last week at the tearooms you were praising me on the wonderful job I did on your friend Lydia. By the way, isn't the coffee and cake there to die for? Can't go there too often… Continue reading Body and Soul
Smudge
By Nancy, 80. Adelaide, SA I have always had a rather unhealthy dislike of dogs. I was a cat lover. Dogs I feared and loathed. I found them dirty, smelly, and prone to nip one's ankle. I never understood dog owners' obsessions with their animals. I viewed most dog people as not quite normal when… Continue reading Smudge
Romeo — Where Art Thou?
By Sue, 68. Aberfoyle Park, SA “This is delicious,” Marge mumbled between mouthfuls of double chocolate muffin. Every Tuesday after she and her friend Fay had finished their hour-long exercise class, they treated themselves to a coffee and muffin of the week from the cafe's specials board. “So convenient,” said Fay, “that the retirement village… Continue reading Romeo — Where Art Thou?
Coming to Australia
By Lucie Kolmer, 1916 — 2010. Adelaide, SA. Rest in peace. In April 1934, my parents, my young brother, and I left Germany on the liner Koblenz and sailed for China. I celebrated my 18th birthday onboard the ship. My brother died of kidney failure in Shanghai where we initially lived. We left Shanghai in… Continue reading Coming to Australia
Fog Bound
By Lesley-Anne, 67. Christie Downs, SA It was the winter of 1963. The snow and the fog were like nothing I had ever seen. When I say fog, I mean the dense, impenetrable type where you can't see more than a few inches in front of you. There was nothing wispy or ethereal about this… Continue reading Fog Bound
The Dreaded Dentist
By Lindsey-Jane, 70. Adelaide, SA I told you this chapter would be coming soon, didn't I? Well, it’s all about visiting the dentist in the '50s. There were many delightful aspects of living in the '50s, but a visit to the dentist in that era was definitely not one of them. The six-monthly dental visit… Continue reading The Dreaded Dentist
The ‘Dark Pit’
By Nancy, 80. Adelaide, SA From the Editor: Trigger warning. The following series contains very candid, detailed, brave, and well-written accounts of what it is like to live with clinical depression. Though over the usual 1000-word limit, I have decided to publish the works in their entirety. If you or someone you know live with… Continue reading The ‘Dark Pit’
A Memoir
By Nancy, 79. Adelaide, SA The year was 1957. I was a mere seventeen years of age. A position had presented itself as a governess on a remote cattle station northeast of Alice Springs. I had applied and was accepted to supervise two young children, one a boy of ten and a girl of eight.… Continue reading A Memoir
The Chair
By Berry, 69. Mawson Lakes, SA It sat alone on the pavement for three days.Marked brown wood, curved back, cracked sagging vinyl seat.My anxiety rose each time I saw it through the window or open doorAnger marked my face.Resentment curved my back.Hurt and insult sagged my soulWhen did mutual respect change to frustration and thoughtlessness?It… Continue reading The Chair
Bodgies, Widgies, Steam Trains, and Stiff Petticoats
By Lindsey-Jane, 70. Adelaide, SA Way back in the '50s, we had FJ Holden cars, doctors who paid house calls, and postmen who actually delivered twice a day (and what's more, blew a whistle to announce their arrival!) Remember these things? Do you also remember women wearing hats and gloves to church or even to go… Continue reading Bodgies, Widgies, Steam Trains, and Stiff Petticoats
A Survivor of ’84
By Denese, 74. Adelaide, SA Cathy disliked reunions intensely. Under sufferance she’d gone to the art school reunion last year and was astonished that the only practicing artists making money from their work were those who'd shown absolutely no talent whatsoever during their four years of tuition. But a school reunion? Ughh! The thought made… Continue reading A Survivor of ’84
My Week
By Moira, 66. Renmark West, SA Feeling the shame, Losing the calm,Carrying the blame,Needing the balm. Moving past the stress,Knowing I am loved,Wishing to blessLooking up above. Accepting limitations,Knowing I have value,Peaceful contemplations,No longer am I blue.
The Vase
By Bridget, 61. Christie Downs, SA Look! It’s way up there in the high cupboard beyond arm's reach standing silent and alone waiting far too long for flowers that never come
The Adventure Years: A Memoir
By Nancy, 79. Adelaide, SA Leaving Home, 1956It was the end of March 1956. I had turned sixteen on the 3rd and had put into place my plans for escaping the very restricted conditions of the parental home. My parents were both born in the 1900s in a small village called Fossacesia in the Abruzzo… Continue reading The Adventure Years: A Memoir
Rose
By Carolyn, 75. Adelaide, SA Rose looked up at the sky. The weather was picture perfect. Damn, she muttered to herself. Normally she would have been delighted, but today, of all days, she wanted it to rain. Come to think of it, hail would be better. Anything to put people off coming. Right little sticky… Continue reading Rose
The Secret Door
By Allan, 77. Salisbury North, SAThere is a secret door and it has a secret lock.It is only for me to know, how it is and where it is.It is never far away, the secret door.I think none know about my secret door, for a secret shared is no secret anymore.I sometimes hint about it,… Continue reading The Secret Door
A Memorable Meal ~ Delhi, India; September 2019
By Lesley-Anne, 67. Christie Downs, SA It was our first day in Delhi. Visiting India had always been on my bucket list, and I was excited to leave the comfort of our hotel and get out into the streets and see the real India. We spent the first part of the morning wandering around the… Continue reading A Memorable Meal ~ Delhi, India; September 2019
Betty Boswell
By Dr. Marguerette Joyce Hill, 72. Adelaide, SA Betty Boswell was awakened by the sound of weeping. She was a light sleeper. She glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand. It was almost midnight. Keiko was in trouble again. In the dark, Betty rose from under her covers and stood at the window of… Continue reading Betty Boswell
SO THIS IS OLD?
By Alice Richardson, 77. Elizabeth, SA The winter tree stands naked; exposed; vulnerable. It remembers the beauty of spring; fragrant colourful blossoms, sparkling green leaves, the warmth of summer, the birds that nested amongst its foliage and the tiny fledgling’s insistent ‘hungry’ chirps demanding food. They flutter and venture further and further from the nest,… Continue reading SO THIS IS OLD?
Gone Walkabout
By Dr. Marguerette Joyce Hill, 72. Adelaide, SA Philip clung desperately to his expensive Panama hat with one hand and to the rusty window sill of the ute with the other as they bumped, rattled and lurched wildly along the dusty, unpaved road of the Australian outback. He clutched his overnight bag between his knees.… Continue reading Gone Walkabout
A man out here
By Doug Jacquier, 70. Yankalilla, SA A man out here that whinged about the sweltering heat and bush flies in his eyes and up his nose wouldn’t be a man and Harry would never have that said of him. Out here, a man who couldn’t fix a snapped axle on a mail truck in a… Continue reading A man out here