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No.28. in my series of short stories.
Navigating the complexities of growing up in an elite suburb and from a broken home, it allowed me to explore and embrace my own identity. The struggles I faced forced me to confront my vulnerabilities and develop a deep sense of self-awareness.
Through introspection and self-reflection, I discovered my passions, strengths, and resilience. I learned to define success on my own terms and to prioritize personal growth over societal expectations. My darling (not so nice) mother decided to move out and leave her three children with their father.
I was around three years of age when she left with another man, it was after the war and he was German and my Nan (my mothers mother) wasn't the happiest lady on the farm and most definitely not impressed with her only daughter.
Growing up never asking the question of why the break up happened, and I say I couldn't care but do I? Has this changed my life? my relationships with people? maybe!
The house was on a very large block which rolled down towards the Swan river (our home pictured above) had very tall ceilings and large rooms with large cornices, high skirting boards, and wooden floor boards though some were covered with Lino. I think this is where the idea for the decor in my gallery and home came from in downtown Latrobe Tasmania.
The family home was given to my mother when my grandfather passed away and this became my childhood home, grandfather had purchased the house as their city holiday home from their sheep station 150 miles North East of Kalgoorlie, in the Goldfields Esperance region of Western Australia.
My Grandfather pioneered the property and the lease was established in 1892 the station was stocked with sheep. When Grandfather sold the station in 1921 it occupied an area of 700,000acres.
When my mother left my father he was allowed to stay in the city house until the youngest child was 16, and that was me and I was only 3, so plenty of time for growing up in an elite Perth suburb.
Our father ran an earthmoving bitumen trucking business, and had a depot in Nedlands not far from our house. At the depot there were piles of blue metal, yellow sand, loam, rock base and red gravel, the gravel was a lovely orange colour and a great contrast with the blue metal, my sister and I played for hours making roads and tunnels in the yellow sand.
In the 1950's dad had a great office with lots of paper pencils and pens, an old typewriter, stapler, rubber, and pencil sharpener which I still have now, it was cool stuff when you were a child, well it was for us.
Dad had his own envelopes and stationary with his own logo and address with a small picture of a truck on them. It was great fun playing offices. I think I have always drawn on anything I could find and this was a great start for my career. Thank you DAD.