Work in progress
Previous | Contents | Next He looks like a captain, with shaggy white hair and huge eyebrows. His eyes are blue, his cheeks red with broken veins, his whole body still bluff and strong. He’s a pleasure to serve because he has courage and strength that most of the men lack. He ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Margaret was working in the ward, gay and strong and sympathetic as always. God bless her and her husband and children. Jenny was struggling in Ward 3, a little flighty and foolish but with a heart of gold, so common here. But struggling. Nigel was in Ward 4, ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next It might have been attractive in summer, but walking up from the station in persistent drizzle on my first day was quite depressing. I was carrying my suitcase and wearing one of those cheap 1960s nylon raincoats, with my body heat condensing inside it. In ... Read more
| Contents | This, for what it’s worth, is what I was reading and writing in 1965 after dropping out from VUW. Looking back, I thought it weird that the book that eventually “grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me” was written by a German psychotherapist in 1930 — ... Read more
Previous | Detour | Next Mum and Dad drove me down to Wellington in February 1964. All I can remember of the trip is staying overnight at a little, long-gone, old-time hotel in the hills somewhere past Auckland, and seeing black-and-white TV for the first time in its lounge. The ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next He wears glasses and his nose is rather prominent. His upper lip slopes out towards the tip of his nose so that he gives the impression of perpetually sniffing at something. He’s friendly, something of a snob, likes to feel superior and blushes easily. He spends part ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next I wasn’t a fully functional adult when I left Silverstream, but after the lows of Wellington I felt I’d made a start. Girls were still a mystery though. Nurses Nurses striding across the hospital grounds in their capes look like the nuns at University. When they walk ... Read more
Contents This is my know-it-all nineteen year-old’s diary. I’ve left out most of my angst and insecurity, but there’s enough left to judge me by. Despite the occasional dismissive commentary, there’s nobody mentioned here I didn’t care for or admire. I’ve changed the names anyway, with a few exceptions. You’ll ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next There were two tanneries in Auckland. The first, Astley & Son, was one of three substantial manufacturers in New Lynn, along with Crown Lynn potteries and Cambridge Clothing. All three are long gone. The other tannery was Lea and Arlington in Otahuhu, which is where we bought our leather. ... Read more
Previous | Contents | Next The fact that for the next few years I earned very little, gave me a bit more insight into the fragile male psyche, as if any more was needed. Whenever conversation came close to what I might be doing personally — “Gidday, what’re you up to?” — I always ... Read more