A Tree Named Anzac An open and level stretch of land reposes at the foot of Mt Brisbane, and is enwrapped by the Brisbane River bending gracefully around it. In 1942, this became a military airfield destined to be a supply and maintenance base. But the war moved North and…
Afghanistan – 1953 Snow and wind were lashing against my face as I sat on top of an oil tanker, the usual mode of travel in Afghanistan. I was completely surrounded by Afghans, all of whom carried rifles and bandoliers of cartridges. We were crushed in together like a tin…
Once the earning potential of freelance writers becomes apparent, many people will ask themselves “How do I become a freelance writer?” The process can be as hard or as easy as you want to make it. Like any process, you have to have a reasonable idea of what the final product is and the ingredients or steps along the way to achieving it. If you give some thought to how many different types of writers there are, you will see that you have discovered the first step along the way to becoming one.
Bathgate Avenue It was 1937, and at nine year of age I was aware, in that Depression year, that my family was poor. When I wasn’t permitted to go out of the house at holiday times, because my parents were ashamed that they couldn’t afford new clothes for me, I…
Ballroom Encounter The day’s unfortunate happenings had led Janie to run to the Mall. She didn’t know why she was there. She just knew she had to get out of that God-forsakin’ school and away from Ellie. Ellie who was supposed to be her best friend in the whole wide…
Bali And Beyond Well, where to begin . . .? Love gone wrong and job gone west! I had been in love with an Indian girl called Janice in Melbourne. We lived together for two years in a gingerbread style cottage in the Dandenongs. She was beautiful and I fell…
As Written I wrote to my brother to pass on the news but also to give him a chance to air views about weather, the family, friends still down South or the dietary portion he puts to his mouth after the doctor has shaken his head and told him to…
Errant Passenger We come across snakes now and then in normal life and, for many, it is not a pleasant experience – although, generally, if you leave them alone then they will leave you alone. But the following is a more unusual encounter. It happened at our local airfield the…
Earning a Living Secondhand dealers come in various categories and this one was a prime example of the sleazy, predatory type. ‘And what would Sir be looking for today?’ he enquired as he slouched up to me, apparently resisting the impulse to rub his hands together. ‘I’m after an urn.’…
A MODERN FABLE Mary liked John. She liked the way he gave her thoughtful little gifts. She liked the way he listened attentively when she told him about her worries. She liked the way he always tried to please her. Unfortunately, Mary never once told John that she liked these…
Private Flight Commuters, businessmen, holidaymakers – all walk onto an aircraft, perhaps glimpse something out of the window and possibly marvel just a little. But the essentials of human flight have become just another form of transport. Yet the magic of actual flight lingers – for those of us who…
Turkey to Italy, 1953 After crossing through the tiny area of European Turkey, I left the train at the last station on the railway line. Ahead, lay the frontier post which was set in open farmland. Nobody was manning the border and I was soon happily marching through endless open…