OF DAYS GONE BY....

The Mansions, George Street, Brisbane...built 1889

Toowong, Brisbane

It was the early 70s.  I was, by that time, divorced from my first husband, fancy-free and single.  My landlord of the unit in which I lived in Toowong, an inner western suburb of Brisbane, met a young lady and they married.  He moved out of his town-house apartment, which was attached to the rest of the units at the rear of the building. He asked if I would manage the block of units on his behalf.  I accepted his offer and relinquished my apartment to move into his unit, at the rear of the apartment block – the townhouse.

Shortly after his marriage, the owner sold the whole complex to an Australian-Chinese who was based in Goroka, Papua New Guinea. I had a meeting with the new owner, who was happy to have me continue as manager of the complex. So the status quo remained, uninterrupted.

The building was tenanted with "twenty-something" occupants, all busy working in their various careers. I befriended one particular tenant, Margaret, who like me, had a great interest in food and the preparation thereof. Between the two of us, we threw many dinner parties, either in my unit, or in hers.   

It became our habit each Friday evening to prepare Spaghetti Marinara. I'm not sure how it all began, but soon we had a small, friendly, high-spirited competition going on to discover who could make the best, perfect Spaghetti Marinara.  Neither of us won...I think it was a dead-heat.  Each effort was as good, as tasty, as the other, and each Friday night the dishes got better.  The feasts were worth it the friendly competition.

Alternate Fridays we would host our "Marinara" soirees, accompanied with red wine, garlic bread, fabulous music, much laughter and interesting, intelligent conversation, with a fair amount of “insanity” thrown in for good fun.  Some nights it would be just the two of us, other times honoured others were invited to our festivities.

At times, when the mood struck and free time was available, Margaret and I met up after work to enjoy a couple of drinks at a cocktail bar, our favourite at the time - the "Hour-Glass Bar" at the then Criterion Hotel in George Street - in Brisbane's city centre. The cosy, old hotel no longer exists.

Every so often either one of us threw a small party of 12-15 people at our respective apartments. It was at one of these parties Margaret met Denis, who later became her husband.

Denis passed the test; the scrutiny, and he soon became a welcome addition to our Friday night "Marinara" restricted social circle.  At the time there was no one "special" in my life, but I was living a life fulfilled, one with had a wide group of friends.

I was employed by The Kolotex Group of Companies at the time.  It was a Jewish company - the head office and factory of which were based in Sydney.  The company involved in the fashion industry...pantyhose, women’s and men’s clothing, and metal mesh handbags.   My employment with the company lasted 14 years....coming to an end when I left Brisbane to live a little north, on the Sunshine Coast.

John, my boss, who was the Queensland manager, Shirley, his wife, and I had became close friends. 

In 1965, not long after I’d moved from Gympie to work and live in Brisbane, I began employment with the company.  As the Queensland offices and warehouse grew in size and its distribution arms extended throughout the state and into New South Wales, along with being John’s secretary, I rose in ranks to bear the mantles of Office Manager, Credit Control Manager and State Sales Coordinator.  All of the this I’ve written about before.

Often on Sundays, I was invited to John and Shirley’s home in Kenmore, another western suburb of Brisbane - a few kilometres further out than Toowong - for "choir practice", to be followed by a special Sunday lunch.

"Choir Practice" commenced around 10.30-11 am out on their patio. The bar opened upon my arrival. Between drinks and conversation, I'd play with their young sons, Gavin and Andrew, who were growing rapidly. 

I’d been part of the scene from their birth. The two boys and I had formed a strong bond from when they were babies. I was part of their life. Always being a big kid myself, I was their "pillow-fight" buddy.

During those happy Sundays I spent at their home, the boys and I ran riot, with John and Shirley in the background telling me I was worse than the kids! 

Many times when John and Shirley had to go away, whether for matters of business, such as conferences etc., or sometimes for an "escape" weekend, I'd move into the home to look after the boys. Those times were great. We had football matches down the hallway of the house, exploding further into the family room. Wild pillow-fights each night before they went to bed were part of the deal.

One day I took the boys "lobbying" to the little creek down the end of the street for freshwater crayfish.  They thoroughly enjoyed the adventure until I began discussing snakes with them. After that they weren't too keen on the pastime. 

The night I introduced the children to Paul Gallico's "The Snow Goose", Gavin had commenced school. Andrew, three years younger, hadn't. Their father and mother were away in Adelaide at a Kolotex conference. I'd moved in lock, stock and barrel with Sasha, my lovely ginger cat.

It was during that particular stay one chilly night with the fireplace, warming the lounge room, I gathered the two boys around me in front of the fire. With Gavin to the left of me and Andrew to my right, I began reading "The Snow Goose".

My brother and I were brought up with the story when we were little kids.  We listened intently to the dulcet tones of Herbert Marshall narration of the story, playing the role of the reclusive crippled artist, Phillip Rhayader.  Joan Loring  -(***a correction  - I originally said Loretta Young) -  played the role of "Frith", the young girl who had brought the wounded snow goose to Rhayader.

I'd read the book many times, too. The story has continued to hold a special part of my heart, and I still have a copy of the book.

Engrossed in reading the story to the children, I paused a moment when I reached a particular moving sad part of the story.  I didn't want to break out in tears in front of the two little boys. The three of us were lying on our stomachs facing the fire. I looked to my left to discover tears were streaming silently down Gavin's face.

To my right, Andrew had his little cherub face cupped in his hands, his arms bent at his elbows, resting on the lush carpet.  He, too, had tears falling down his chubby cheeks. Seeing their tears caused my tears, tears I'd been forcing to dam, to spill freely.

Quickly wiping them away, I closed the book, telling them we had had enough of the story for that night. I told them I would finish reading the story the following night.

I stayed talking with them a while, before challenging them to a pillow fight before bed, which followed our soccer match down the hallway.

The night before their parents were due to arrive back from their trip, I warned the boys that there would be no more football games once Mum and Dad came home. We'd have to behave ourselves when the "grown-ups" were around. 

We always had fun together.

The kitchen floor at the Kenmore home was having its cork tiles re-corked and sealed. I invited the family to dinner on the Saturday evening, to allow the seal to set properly without the traffic of little feet over it. After they had finished their meal, the boys became drowsy and wandered upstairs to the bedrooms.

Come time for John and Shirley to leave at the end of the evening I suggested they leave the boys with me - for John come by to collect them up in the morning. This they did.

After clearing away the dinner debris, I climbed the stairs to go to bed.  Both boys stirred as I entered my bedroom. They'd taken over my then double bed. I ushered a drowsy Gavin into the second bedroom, with Andrew insisting sleepily he wanted to stay in my bed. Thence began a night of musical beds.

At one stage I had the two boys and my cat, Sasha with me in my double bed.

A little while later, when I thought they had scampered away off to Dreamland with Mr. Sandman, silently, I crept out of my bed, and crawled into the single bed in the second bedroom.

Upon waking in the morning, I had Gavin, Andrew and Sasha, my cat as my bed-mates - all of us squeezed together like sardines in the single bed. The double bed in my bedroom was empty...loads of room in there!