issue 1

Dear Gina. this blog is for you and anyone else who might be interested. You asked me to write about my childhood growing up in New Zealand in the late 50's so here goes. I will try to write something at least once a week or as the mood takes me.
I was born in TeKuiti hospital on May 17th 1956. My Mum, Linda was 40 when I was born and Dad, Alf was 50. Some would say i was an accident but I have it on good authority that I was actually planned. There is a 10 year gap between myself and the next child up, brother john. Mum had a number of miscarriages before she had me and also another one after me. after that one Dad put his foot down and said no more babies. i'm sure the teenage brothers and sister were very relieved. teenagers never like to think that their parents do THAT.
My earliest memory is of having a bath in front of the potbelly stove in the kitchen. i must have been about 3 years old. We had an old green tin baby bath that was much larger than modern baby baths. Aria was very cold in winter so having a bath by the fire was a bit of a must. I remember sitting on the kitchen table wrapped in a towel while Dad dried and dressed me. I think i was pretty lucky to have so much attention from Dad. he was very much a man of his generation whose role was to make the money and provide the discipline.