Thanks to the oldies

I just recieved a nice commemt from Megan about being a beaut dad, but really if you want to give any compliments they should really go to my Mum n' Dad or Nana n' Pop as they are know these days. Really over the years they found the time to drive me and the others in the family, to almost every place on the map of Australia.

I can remember trips down to chilly old Melbourne town, and watching Fairly Penguins surfing into the beach at Phillip Island. Driving along the Great Ocean Road to see some apostles and into South Australia, we went dropping down holes in the ground at Wellington Caves. Up to freezing old Armidale and into even more freezing old Glen Innes, then through the hills down to Coffs Harbour. We drove into the never never to see animals at Dubbo Zoo, and had the opperturnity to drive over galahs at Gilgandra.






We went walkabout out in Coonabarabran and saw where Ned had he's last fight in Glenrowan, we caught a tram ride down high street in Bendigo and waited while Mum popped into the Pottery. There were trips to Canberra and even colder trip into the snowy mountains of Jindabyne, we drove through Peter Allan's home town of Tenterfield and watched the waterfalls of Apsley as we drove along Thunderbolts way.



Weekends away to King Neptunes park at Port Macquarie and swims at Forsters Beach, rides along the Great Murray river on Paddlesteamers and days out at Sea world on Surfers Paradise. From the flie's at Cobar to the cows of Begga, from the sands of Wollongong to the dusty dirt of Silverton. From Gold mining at Ballarat's Sovereign hill to the Swan hill on the Murray, From looking at a large Dish in Parkes to catching a ferry across the Hawkesbury river at Wisemans ferry.





And I'll never forget the time spent lazying around at our holliday home at Bateau Bay, catching crabs on the rocks with my sisters and at night just watching that light from the lighthouse flash by. sliding down that rocketship slide at Long Jetty and feeding the noisy seagulls on the sand bar at The Entrance.... ah The Entrance, my most loved KFC restaurant in Australia. And don't forget walking at night down Entrance road, playing pinball machines and space invaders at the arcade parlours.

Being scared at Trial Bay Jail at South West Rocks to a great time at Timbertown at Wingham, to having a picnic at Chichester Dam or having a drive through the bush town coolah. And when ever I think back to those times I always remember the trips out to Broken Hill, and one very noteable trip in the combi. Have you ever sat in the back of a combi van in the middle of nowhere, with your little sister by your side driving at 75km's an hour!!! Fairdinkum i'm not joking here, the old fella drove slower then a wet weekend. Now where talking about a road that has nothing on it for about 455km's between the hill and Cobar, and here I was sitting in the back with a combi motor reving away at 75km's an hour.... We then drove out to see the mining bushtown of Silverton, as we drove along at 75km's an hour we drove streight into a water dip and almost came out airborn the other side !!! Yeah!!! we yelled out this was great but then Dad slowed down and we did the rest of the trip at about 45... bugger!

Yep the old man drove us across most of the East coast of Australia, and if he had the money I reckon he'd of driven us around the whole of Australia. Yeah he is a great Dad and there was his misses (our mum) sitting by his side all the way, usally giving him some good driving tips like 'look out', 'where ya going now', 'oh for God sake get on the right side of the road' or my favourite 'Didn't you see him'. Now Mum might of thought she was an expert when it came to driving, but she never did hold a drivers licence which funnily enough was also Dad's faught! See if you have a chat with the old girl, she will tell you the story of her first and last drive. It seams that when she was driving their car along a road they came to a bridge, now this is where the story changes from different view points. From Mum's point of view she was doing a dandy job and was just about to drive across this bridge, but the bloke sitting next to her deciced to grabbed the wheel and swong the car all over the road. In the process destroying her young self confidence, and making it impossible for her to ever sit in the drivers seat again. But the old man has a bit of a different side to his story, as he reckons if he didn't grab the wheel they would of smashed head-on into the bridge pier! Crikey and the two of them would of been pushing up the daisys in the local cemetery. So if you ever want to have a little laugh then just mention to the old girl, 'Hay by the way why don't you have a drivers licence'. But make sure that the old boy is in hearing distance ha,ha.

But yes I was a very lucky fella to be able to grow up with that 122 Brighton Ave mob, and so I just reckon it's my turn to do the driving. I'm just lucky that i've got a mob of nevilles who just love getting out of the house, and so going walkabout around the Perth hills is always on the cards. And so thanks to Mum and Dad for all those hollidays in the car, and hopefully if I can give to my kiddies half as much as I recieved from them.... then that will be.... just Dandy!.

oh yeah don't forget the Big Pineapple!