On this day - 18 January, 1979

On this day - 18 January, 1979

Ruslan Fedotenko, Ukrainian ice hockey player is born

Royal Thai Armed Forces Day

Paul Keating (24th Australian Prime Minister) celebrates his 44th birthday

Tunisian Revolution Day Celebrations

Leah, drunk baby is born

..... Born in Sydney to Judith and Brian, legend has it my mother over did it on the vino to "calm her nerves" throughout the labour and impending birth.

It would appear from day one I had a clear understanding of what a hangover would feel like,,,,, 

I would also assume (it was the 70's) that the Doctor too may have been drunk and most definitely would've been smoking a cigarette.

 

Brian and Judith's wedding day. Take special note of Brian's lamb chop sideburns, mission brown flared suit with novelty sized bow-tie and Judith's intrigued expression towards the crock-pot.

We lived in a modest home in Western Sydney, my Mum, Dad, big sister Melodie and I until the 1980's when we shipped ourselves over to Bougainville, back to Australia (Karatha), to Nauru, to Papua New Guinea and back to Australia in 1987.

I don't remember too much about Bougainville (I was probably still drunk), however I do remember two things, the man in the below picture and my mothers guitar case (complete with a "Jesus Lives" sticker and "The Seekers" sheet music). I still have the case and occasionally attempt to "play" a three chord ditty or two. 

                       

                    This is me 18 months old in Bougainville with a family friend.

 

 Karatha (Western Australia) in 1982 is where the below picture with the drooling child (me), "Mutt of a dog" (direct quote from Brian) and my sister Melodie. Memories are less vague from this stage of my life. In my eyes, Judith was the most famous person I knew, she was a hip radio presenter (we'll disregard the fact that she mispronounced INXS as "inks").

What I also remember is dislocating my ankle on my Dad's bicycle, being frightened of the Bougainvillian Mask in the hallway, the smell of red dust and the sound of Judith's eyes rolling at Brian's endless singing of jaunty German Folk songs (he may or may not have been dancing with Rufus).

 

My sister Melodie, dog Rufus and me (the salivating toddler behind Rufus)

Living in Nauru in 1984 was grand! My fondest memories by far are when we adopted Crystal, I was absolutely besotted by my new sister, however was sternly advised to "not use your new nail polish on your sister" on more than on occasion by Judith. I remember the fig tree (over three metres high) vines that Melodie and I would swing on. Extreme swinging you say?  Why yes, however, the real challenge was to avoid slamming into the concrete water tank directly parallel to the trees. I remember with not so much fondness being fed tongue sandwiches by my God Mother and being dared (by Melodie) to go to the abandoned (haunted) house across the street and count the mushrooms in the bathroom.

                                                                  Crystal!! 

 

 

Me in my sailor dress beside some heavy artillery 

Papua New Guinea from 1985, living in a compound, loosely translated a handful of elevated houses (complete with bougainvillea, paw paw, mango, banana and coconut trees) surrounded by two metre barbed wire fences, guarded by a 5" 4' Papua New Guinean National security guard named Moses (pictured below) with a gun. This was to keep the "Raskols" out, "Raskols" were PNG Nationals who would raid, rob and damage property mainly from ex-pats.

Moses was most happy with our family, Brian fashioned our shipping crate into a hut for Moses' family who resided in one of the "shanty towns" on the outskirts of Port Morseby.

                            One of the "Shanty Towns" on the outskirts of Port Moresby

                   Moses, his torch and the thinking child (me) in our house in PNG

                      The entrance to our compound, the arrow points to our home.

 

I have many fond and not so fond memories of PNG.

I remember Moses teaching me how to open a coconut, our house Mary Ellie and her son teaching Pidgin English (I can still say "Big Chicken" in Pidgin English). Our above ground pool splitting and the water knocking the boy next door off his bike! Wanting to buy the "monkey" (tree kangaroo) at the local "6 Mile Market" And eating salt and vinegar chips at the Cathay Club (near Kokoda).  

I was convinced that the only song ever to be played anywhere was "Red red wine" by UB40.

I thought TV was only ever on between 4pm and 7pm. (Broadcast time allowed in PNG).

We had many animals in PNG, circled in the below picture you will see Lassie (original I know) who, I was convinced as a seven year old, that she was a dingo. And Max our Dachshund, he was by far my favourite pet as he was quite easy to dress up and tuck into my dolls pram! We had two cats and two "male" guinea pigs who somehow produced another two baby guinea pigs!

                       Our house (No. 17) with circled dogs Lassie (middle) and Max (right)

 

         Clockwise from top left - Judith, Nana (red mu mu), Mel and Max, Lassie, Spike and I

Not so fondly, I have memories of riots in 1985/1986 where a death of a Tribal Leader's daughter resulted in tribal unrest and thus rioting. I have a clear memory of our school closing it's doors and Brian picking up Mel and I and driving through Moresby dirt roads to get home as the riots were traveling through the provinces.

We were stopped by a dozen or so rioters who were covered in red mud who then proceeded to shake our car. Petrified Mel and I hit the floor of the car. The car was released when the rioters realised that there were in fact children in the car.

I will never forget arriving home and seeing a muddy hand print on the rear left panel of our yellow station wagon. 

On another occasion on our way to the Cathay Club, I recall being in a road-block and seeing a man who had been recently shot in the back being carried to a nearby ute.

So, it would seem an impending move back to Australia was in order......

Oh and for the record, my nickname growing up was "Lik Lik"..... Just giving you the heads up, it means "little" in Pidgin English..... *nods*