Circa 1977

Much of the mid 1970s was spent hanging around the smooth sloping car parks of the town.



Gradually the preference shifted from concrete to the chocolate brown waves around the paper mill.

Dad was a mechanic. Before we came along he built and raced his own car.



Then he worked on the wharf maintaining the vehicles that moved stuff onto the ships.



Mostly that was paper.



Like many people in the town my grandfather worked at the paper mill.



On Sundays, when he came around for dinner, he'd often bring a reem of paper.



The paper would vary in size, colour and weight.



Sometimes it would even have the superfine bond watermark.



But the important thing was there was always something to draw on,



and every now and then, mum would keep a drawing.