Characters in the following story set in India are fictitious and the story is not based on any known events. The bungalow picture above was taken in Pune, India during my work years there. Chapter 1 Loud cries emanating from the bedroom told the assembly of family and friends Shamala’s ordeal was over. All eyes turned to Mohan who was staring expectantly at the bedroom … Continue reading Shakuntala
Chapter 1 Mike sat in his room deep in thought. He’d been working hard all day with a well drilling crew in a remote village ten kilometres from where he was billeted. This was his fifth month away from home. He’d taken a year off from his MA studies in response to a TV ad seeking volunteers to drill wells and provide clean water to … Continue reading Surapee – Mini Novel set in Thailand
November 1. Now that’s a date I don’t need a reminder for even though I’ve taken all precautions and put it into every electronic media at my disposal as a reminder. That’s the day I got hitched, or to use the more polite form, married. I remember it as one of these dismal rainy days adding to the usual set of worries about planning such … Continue reading Wedding
It was the year 1960 and I‘d decided to further my education in accounting. It had been a hard decision to return to school. My career with the public accounting firm of A H Leitch & Son was on track, and it was tempting to stay on board and rake in the cash each week rather than go back to school. In school money flowed … Continue reading Blessings from Heaven
At age 21 I’d managed to acquire and dispose of four cars. The oil burning Vauxhall, my first car, had given way to a more sedate Hillman Minx at the urging of those who’d been caught in the blue smoke contrails the Vauxhall emitted. However my national service army training soon gave me a taste for a more rugged vehicle, so an army mechanic friend … Continue reading My Foolish Years
It was the year 1958. I’d just finished my army reserve training, and tanned and fit was being returned by the government to civilian life. No more route marches in the middle of the night, no more sleeping exhausted out in the rain, no more doing twenty circuits of the parade ground on the run because some vindictive Sergeant Major had a bender from a … Continue reading Monika
On January 4, 1956 I was conscripted by Australian Defense for what was then called national service obligations. I was just over 18 years of age and a candidate for enlightenment. This experience fulfilled that purpose. I can still remember my Mother standing at the front door wringing her hands as Dad drove me down to the local assembly point. The cold war was just … Continue reading Army Daze
“Mom, Rex has asked me to go with him this weekend. He wants to visit with our friends in Bundaberg.” Claire looked at her eldest son Paul in surprise. It was the mid 50’s and she struggled with normal protective instincts and the desire to recognize her teenage son’s right to make his own decisions. It was the age old conflict Mothers have to face … Continue reading The Great Escape
One of the joys of raising children is to have a reason for doing things you once found enjoyable in childhood. Some activities could be considered progressively un-cool as children move into adolescence and certainly taboo as they get into the serious pursuit of a spouse later on. If you were to see a young adult sitting by themselves on a beach with a little … Continue reading Becoming Of Age
It was one of those blustering cyclonic weather mornings. No one had slept much during the night as winds alternatively sucked at house moorings then dropped in a fit of rage finding the home securely riveted to the ground. Roofing strained to hang on tightly, watching anxiously as sheet iron from neighbouring house roofs whizzed through the air like gigantic ancient weapons of war. Branches … Continue reading The Flood
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