There is no doubt that parenting is by far one of the best jobs you’ll ever have.
Sure, there are plenty of books around that tell you how to do it. If you’re unlucky you’ll have family around who think they know better than you and won’t be afraid to tell you. There are barriers and obstacles, dangers and traps, every single step of the way.
Let me tell you, as a man on the brink of grandparenthood, it’s been one heck of a trip and not one bit of it would I change.
From the moment of discovering that Caitlin was on her way, this has by far been the best adventure of my life. To be present, really present, in the lives of Caitlin and Tomas has brought me such joy and happiness.
I was there when they opened their eyes, I was there when they took their first step, hurt themselves, rode a bicycle without the trainers, thrilled at their first concert, watched their first movie, gazed at their grandparents in awe.
I was there when they threw up in the car, had a toileting accident, screamed in agony in a public place, didn’t succeed at a task.
I’ve been the brunt of their frustration, I’ve been the fixer of feelings, the hugger and carer. I have gathered them in my arms to console them, and hug them and tell them I love them.
As the next chapter of life begins for Caitlin and Glen, I look back at the thrill of it all. I am so glad to have been able to be a part of her life.
It’s at this point, that I feel obliged to reflect about what I would do differently. And there are plenty of things I wished I could do over. However, the best thing I ever did was to be there as they grew up. Sure, it was tough to work part-time, never to have quite enough money, lonely and stressful. Alas, even with that, I’m so glad that I made that decision to be their care-giver. In all of life, raising kids is the best.
Grasp the chance with both hands, get in there and get dirty. Thrill at the pure joy of the unfathomable love that comes unexpectedly when a bundle of joy is passed to you the first time.
Tears streamed down my face as I looked at both my children for the first time.
We started a journey together, and I’m delighted to have been part of it. The best way to be a parent is to be there as much as you can. Take time off work, reduce your hours, do school drop offs and pick-ups, watch them dance, watch them sing, watch them act and play. Just be there, always with a warm word, a hug, a kiss and a glint of pride in your eye.
Rummaging through some boxes I happened upon an old 9×4 manilla envelope, and there inside a box of slides.
May 1983 Rocklands Slide Show is scrawled in my handwriting. It’s an old tatty envelope that includes, not only the box of slides, but a cassette tape, some homemade slides and a running sheet.
I remember when we packed up a bunch of young cubs and headed to the Rocklands Reservoir for a 4-day camp – a Pack Holiday. It was the first time the leaders had embarked upon such a long adventure.
I don’t recall anything specific about these 4 days. The venue we used was a regular place for many camps over the years. Fairly rustic, but functional, not too far from home and plenty of natural bushland around.
The real find, however, was the cassette tape. I played that and listened to my own voice narrating the story of the pack holiday.
It’s dreadful!
Nevertheless, I need to share it with you.
The iconic slide box
We would gather the parents together for a slide night on a cold, dark winters night, a few weeks after the event, as we have to send the film off to be developed. We’d probably show the slides at the end of the regular cub meeting, followed by a cup of tea and a biscuit.
Everyone would sit politely, the cubs would be sitting on the floor and the parents on some chairs.
Lights off, slides on. The show runs just over 15 minutes, and there is no escape.
I have no idea about the timing of the slide show itself. We spend ages looking at some images, and barely 30 seconds looking at others. I added some sound effects here and there, and some trashy music.
There’s only about 30 photos, and they’re not that great. One of the parents took them. I think they were the pick of the bunch. Of course, unlike the digital wizardry of today, you’d probably only snap one, maybe two photos, you can’t just keep taking shots – film is expensive. You just hope that they will turn out ok.
I’d also gone to the trouble of creating some of my own slides to augment the show. I imagine I spent hours putting them together. They’re pretty bad, but at the time, I no doubt thought they were wonderful.
Handmade – ‘The End’
This slide ‘The End’ was typed on my old Olivetti typewriter, then I would photocopy it onto a piece of plastic for an overhead projector, cut it out and stick it into the slide. Never mind that it just looks rubbish. No colour copies in the 80’s. I would have to wait until the boss was out for lunch and then make the copies. Sometimes the acetate sheet would get stuck in the copier and I’d spend ages trying to extract it without having to call the repair man.
Yelling YIK
The ‘YIK’ slide I even coloured by hand, and wait until you see the final slide that’s so wonderfully presented.
Now, the challenge for today, is to watch the 15 minute video, pretend you’re in a cold Scout Hall. I’ve included the slide projector sound for your enjoyment. There’s no way to swipe to the next image, you can’t enlarge it to see more detail, you can’t tag a friend, and you can’t report it to a social media company to have it taken down.
You’ve also got to hang around at the end. You’ll need to have a cup of luke warm tea, that’s probably either to strong or to weak, and a biscuit out of the Arnotts Family Pack – go for an Arrowroot, all the chocolate ones will be gone.
I find that I have plenty of time on my hands, and I’ve been listening to tapes and watching some of my old VHS videos.
One of those cassette tapes from the 1980s is an interview with my Grandmother. It’s wide-ranging and covers all sorts of stories from her life.
Grandma died in 1991.
My brother Shane and I visited our grandmother, she was living with her eldest daughter, and recorded at least 2 hours of stories.
On this little snippet she talks about the sort of work my grandfather did. Mostly he was a blacksmith, but things were changing, cars where making their way onto the roads, and the need to shoe a horse was no longer a life-time job.
This image appears on a Facebook group I’m a member of.
I’ve seen it described as ‘Harold Hadden’s blacksmith shop, Glenthompson’. When I visit the State Library of Victoria’s page, where the image is held it’s described as ‘Buggies outside blacksmith’s shop‘. The photo was taken between 1890 and 1917 – my Grandfather didn’t have a shop in Glenthompson until 1928 at the earliest.
The surrounding countryside doesn’t really look much like Glenthompson either.
The photographer also took this picture
The country-side looks very similar and it’s captioned, ‘View of town-Archies Creek?‘ which is out Gippsland way.
In amongst my old things I’ve also kept this invoice:
He has invoiced Mr. S Beggs, very likely is Sandford Beggs, father of Tammy Fraser.
Anyway, all of this was enough to inspire me to put together this little video of my Grandmother talking about the work that Harold used to do.
Moses Storer was the first of my direct family branch to arrive here in Australia. He came from England and arrived in Adelaide in 1848. He was married to Mary Ann and came with their first child Moses.
Moses was born in 1827 in England. He was baptised in September that year.
Moses is a bit of a mystery really. He was one of 10 children, as far as I can work out, he had 6 of his own children, and lived for a while in Branxholme in Western Victoria, just south of Hamilton. However, he is buried in Western Australia, well, that’s as far as I know.
Moses sounds like such a respectable name, alas, that’s not what he was! In 1859 he appeared in an article in the Adelaide Observer:
GAWLER: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12.
HORSESTEALING. – James Fletcher and Moses Storer were charged with horsestealing under the following circumstances: – William Edson, farmer, of Bald Hill, near Lyndoch Valley, deposed that on the evening of Wednesday, the 5th inst., after ploughing with a horse and mare (which he minutely described) till 7 o’clock, the animals were put into a paddock by his daughter. They were his property, as shown by receipts containing marks and brands which with as produced. On fetching the working cattle up at 6 o’clock the next morning, the horse and mare were missing. Witness did not see his horses again till he met them on Tuesday, in possession of the police, on their way to Gawler, the two prisoners being mounted on them, near Butler & Grant’s Station. Moses Storer, who had formerly been his neighbour, said to him jocosely, as he came up. “Well, Mr. Edson, you see we’re bringing your horses back again.” The other prisoner, whom he did no know, shook his head, and said, “It’s a bad job”. … The brands had been very cleverly altered by additions, but the old marks could be readily distinguished. … Storer claimed the mare, saddle, and swag as his property. Fletcher claimed the horse. They said they had the receipts for the horses. Afterwards they said they not had got them, and they charged witness with having taken the receipts from them. Witness on searching them had found no receipts upon them. … They were both committed to take their trial at the Supreme Court
Because rebranding a horse always works… It would appear Moses and Fletcher were thrown into gaol to await their trial.
And then, tucked away towards the bottom of the Sheriff’s office notice is this:
South Australian Weekly Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1858 – 1867), Saturday 5 February 1859, page 4 – National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article96493384
Moses Storer, James Fletcher, Thomas Brasher, George Brasher, and Robert Cooper attempt to break prison! Now that must be a story. Come to Australia as a free-settler, steal a horse, then try to break out before you even get to trial!
The South Australian Advertiser has the full story:
DARING ATTEMPT TO BREAK OUT OF THE ADELAIDE GAOL.
A most determined endeavour to escape from prison was on Thursday discovered to have been made by the prisoners confined in the ward allotted to the prisoners committed for trial in the Adelaide Gaol. The facts of the case are simply these. Mr. Lawrence, the head turnkey, had for some days past observed a number of prisoners constantly hanging about the water-closet. This circumstance awakened his suspicions, and he took an opportunity of listening to their conversation, which he had an opportunity of doing from outside through a crevice in the wall. From expressions which he overheard he was convinced that some secret operations were being carried on. He therefore took an observation from the tower which overlooks the yard. He then perceived that a number of the prisoners were constantly about the closet, apparently relieving one another from time to time, at some secret work, while one was posted at the gate of the yard, obviously with a view of giving intimation of the approach of the guard. At 11 o-clock on Thursday morning Mr. Lawrence entered the ward, and surprised three of the prisoners at work excavating a passage under the closet. These were – Thomas Brasher, committed for trial on several charges; Cooper, committed for the attempt to murder Sergeant Badman; and another named Fletcher, committed for horse-stealing. The superfluous clothing of these persons was found lying on the floor of the closet. Mr. Lawrence with great promptitude ordered all the prisoners into their cells and locked them up, having previously placed a guard in the space between the outer and inner walls of the prison. The guard, while on duty there, happening to tread on the place under which the tunnelling had been made, broke through the crust of earth, and fell into an excavation nearly breast deep. This disturbance of the soil exposed a tunnel of about two and a half feet in diameter, leading under the outer wall. On inspection of the ground outside the wall, the earth was discovered to have been undermined, and Mr. Egan, the keeper of the gaol, while walking round, fell through into an excavation of the same kind. The surface soil had been approached within a few inches, and it was evident that the prisoners had been just on the eve of their escape. The plan of operations appeared to have been well matured, and skilfully executed. In order to understand the attempted scheme, it will be necessary to describe the obstacles overcome. From each ward in the prison there are culverts leading from the water-closets into the river Torrens. The culvert in No. 4 ward, where the committed prisoners were confined, had recently been cleaned out, thus removing one difficulty. The prisoners had evidently taken into account the circumstance that the construction of the culverts would necessarily loosen the surrounding soil, which would consequently be easily removed. They had descended through the seat of the closet, and transmitted the earth by means of such instruments as they had at command, and disposal of the clay removed by depositing it in an intervening cesspool, so that no traces of their work were visible above ground. There is no doubt that each prisoner relieved the other at stated intervals, and that everything was ready for an escape at noon on that day, when the guard in charge of the prisoners working outside would be off the beat. The vigilance of the head turnkey, however, frustrated their well-laid plans, and the attempt will only remain on record as one of the most skilful and determined ever recorded in the criminal annals of South Australia. There are 17 prisoners in the ward, committed for trial, all of whom would have been at liberty within a few minutes after the discovery was made. It would not be out of place here to notice the very small guard in the gaol. Four guards only watch over about 110 prisoners. One of these is constantly employed superintending the prisoners engaged in quarrying outside; one of the other three is frequently engaged in taking prisoners to the courts, and in additional, has to be on guard at night. It will thus be seen that very frequently there are only two available guards to watch over the safety of 110 prisoners. It can matter of no surprise that an escape has been attempted, but it is almost surprising that the recent attempt has not proved successful.
The ledger at the Supreme Court shows us the Prisoners for Trial on 14th February, Moses is listed as number 25 on February 18th, along his fellow horse-thief, James Fletcher who also has an alias – H. Roberts. Their ages are recorded, Moses was 31, Fletcher 30. Moses’ age has allowed me to trace it back to his birth year of 1827. The charge says:
Feloniously stealing a bald-faced brown horse and a bay mare, the property of William Edson, 6th January.
Further down the same printed sheet at 42 to 47, we find the names of the prisoners who tried to escape by digging a tunnel through the dunny. That charge reads:
Feloniously and unlawfully attempting to break prison and escape from H. M. Gaol, while in custody awaiting trial for certain felonies, at Adelaide, 27 January.
That case is listed for February 23rd.
In the court ledger, the outcome of the trial is written:
11. James Fletcher als. Henry Roberts
12. Moses Storer
Stealing one gelding and one mare the property of William Edson. Plea by both prisoners – Guilty.
Sentence James Fletcher and Moses Storer to be severally kept in penal servitude for three years.
The South Australian Register published the outcome of the day’s work of the court under a column called Criminal Side and here we find the report of Moses:
James Fletcher, alias H. Roberts, and Moses Storer, convicted on their own confession of horse-stealing. The Chief Justice sentenced the prisoners to three years imprisonment with hard labour. Moses Storer handed in a paper. The Chief Justice – You should have given this in before. You state that you had not the intention to steal the animal; then you should have pleaded not guilty and went to trial. I should wish every prisoner to plead not guilty if there is any doubt in his case.
Moses seems to have got that bit wrong! I wondered what the note said. Maybe it was the receipts for the horses that couldn’t be found at the time of his arrest. Still, too little too late for Moses.
We next find him in the Register of all Persons Brought to the Common Gaol of the Province of South Australia. He had been a guest there since his arrest in January.
Moses is recorded in that on page 72. It records he was gaoled on Jan 12 1859 and notes that he could read and write, was married, his religion was Church of England, he was a labourer and arrived in the colony from London in 1848. The Date of Discharge column notes March 8/59 and in the remarks column it seems to say To Dry Creek
And sure enough in the Prisoners’ Register of the Dry Creek Labour Prison we find Moses Storer, number 323. The entry confirms that he arrived from London on the Bezolar, which may be a misspelling or mispronunciation of Bussorah, it lists 2 brothers and 3 sisters as friends in the colony. It goes on to list his physical attributes, height, weight and forehead which is defined as “Good”. His expression is also marked as “Stern”
The only other remark is that he was discharged on 9th April 1860.
Here we leave the tale of Moses, First of Our Kind, Stealer of Horses and Crawler of Cesspools.
For years there have been calls to rename the Margaret Court Arena, she is an Australian tennis great. Great enough for a patch of sealed land to be named after her. 2020 is the celebration of 50 years since she grand-slammed a few balls.
Court is a homophobe. She says very not nice things about anyone not-straight, and she has done this using her position as a sporting legend to generate controversy and to convey her sinister message.
Then, along comes Tim Wilson – member for Goldstein with this little beauty:
“If you believe in a society of pluralism and diversity you have to accept people will have different views on morality,” said Wilson, who is openly gay and married his long-time partner shortly after the passage of the gay marriage legislation in Federal Parliament.
This isn’t a different view on morality, the issue here is that of gender identity and sexual orientation. The reason to rename the court isn’t because of a different moral stance, it’s because Court uses her position to vilify people. The rest of society understands that sexuality and gender are not based on morality. Wilson’s attempt to restrict it to a ‘different view on morality’ is foolish. It ignores the real harm done when sporting ‘legends’ use their status to spew rhetoric that has been shown to cause great harm to people. Sure, everyone is entitled to their opinion, doesn’t mean we need to give it credence by naming a sporting field after them.
“Airbrushing people’s legacy for expressing cultural dissent is too ‘1984’ for my liking,” Wilson added, a reference to the totalitarian dystopia of George Orwell’s novel.
Airbrushing her legacy? Why on earth not? In any case, she isn’t being erased from the history books, we’re just asking to rename a tennis court. Her record stands. As to it being ‘1984’, that’s a little rich coming from someone who is in a government that does doublespeak all the time.
As usual, Wilson adds nothing to the debate, only ill-thought-out concepts that reek of his own bias and personal privilege.
