Ah yes Lexi I too knew Strathfield, but it was the sound of my Morgan +4s exhaust echoing off the walls of the railway bridge as I drove under it, not the station, that I knew.

I was there often, when I lived to the south, & kept my Brabham F2 in a workshop to the north. I rarely got away with less than 4 nights a week working on it.

We lived in Ryde for a little while not long after the end of the war. We made the trek to Harbord beach with friends in a 1930 Dodge, a great big square butter box of a thing, a few times. I doubt it could get over 30 MPH, & was none too sure around corners, so it took what seemed like hours. About half the trip was through open countryside. Hard to believe today.

What great times, with a rented blow up rubber surfer plane, what more could a kid want?

I preferred that Australia, where a boss or a factory worker could buy a home, & raise a family on one wage. When income tax was 7.25%, & you paid 3.5% interest on your house loan.

Now we are keeping so many bludgers, welfare & bureaucrat, that taxes are ridiculous, & even two wages are often not enough. I am not all that impressed with what we have done with our Australia.

Loudmouth,
Dead, both dead. She went first with cancer and he a year later from obesity and diabetes.
I actually beat her once, never the brother. Murry Rose was her lover then and we were all jealous as all hell.

I'm so sorry to hear that, about both of the Conrads. They were so beautiful to watch swimming. Vale.

Joe

Dear Chris,

Wow, what a great life.
Being part of history, taking part in the Olympics,
and knowing those sporting icons. Ever thought of writing
a book?

I remember that Jon and Ilsa Conrads, Murray Rose, Dawn
Fraser were all heroes to my parents. Dad was a sporting
fanatic - loved the swimmers - and Jon and Ilsa were so
personal to him ( being of Latvian backgrounds).
He looked upon them as relatives.

Dear Hasbeen,

Your cars sound wonderful.
You must have had lots of girlfriends? ;-)
Yes, I guess those were the days of easier home ownership.
However both my parents had to work. We were "latchkey
kids," and I was the "mum." I had to look after my
younger brothers, the house, and at times practically
the entire neighbourhood. I learned to cook very early,
and my brother's mates used to come over for a feed
on a regular basis.

Dear Joe (Loudmouth),

You've always had good taste in women by the sound of
it. My dad would agree with you regarding Ilsa.
Actually he was a great admirer of both Ilsa and her
brother. I'm sorry to learn that they've both passed on.
I wonder if they ever married or had children?

That girlfriend thing is a myth Lexi, part of the one about the rich racing car driver, or yachtsman.

The girls soon wake up that the man might have been rich, if he hadn't spent it all on the car/boat etc.

What they learn very quickly is that he has spent all his money, & spends too much time working on the thing, to be any use as a boyfriend. Like a lot of other things, it may look exotic from a distance, but the romance disappears very quickly when you get up close.

Dear Hasbeen,

There's nothing more attractive than a self-made man.
A man who works with his hands doing what he loves.
And to me it sounded like you're precisely that sort
of guy. As for riches? Riches come in finding somone
who satisfies your emotional apetite. Someone who's
sensitive and strong and tender. Tenderness is the
rarest of qualities. I think that you're under-estimating
yourself and your female friends of which I'm sure there
must have been many.