CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
by Daphne Elaine Burchell.
Creative Writing 101.
Professor Dana Kunston
I was born in 1944, during World War 2. This war ended in 1945, but then we had the
great depression, so most of my young years were during this time. I am the
eldest surviving child, and, have two younger sisters and one brother. We lived
with my parents, and grandparents in a three-bedroom home in suburban Brisbane.
Whilst we did not have very much money, we still had enough, and we made our own fun. I remember putting on concerts with the neighbour’s children for our parents. We would sing, dance, and tell jokes, and then we would have supper together.
My mother was a timid lady, and never fully recovered from the loss of my eldest brother. My Grandmother made all our meals and clothes, my mother was exceptionally good at knitting, however, and made all our cardigans. We were proud to wear these beautiful cardigans.
When I was nine, my parents joined a concert party. Dad was a magician and Mum his assistant. She hated this but went along with it to please my father. The leader of the concert party was a dancing teacher, so Dad saw that we all became enrolled in dance classes.
I
loved dancing, and my next sister could sing well, so we would sing and dance
together. Grandma made our costumes. I progressed through the grades, and,
ended up becoming a dance teacher part time.
Christmas was a fun time, and even though times were tough, we always got something. One Christmas, I remember, Dad made us dolls wardrobes and Grandma made some dolls clothes. We would swing, and sing Christmas carols under the house, and the neighbour would play the piano. We decorated the house with paper chains, and we painted signs that said, “Merry Christmas.” Grandma would make a Christmas pudding and put three pence pieces in it. You would eat the pudding to see if you got three pence. Once, I even made myself sick, eating to try to get the three pence pieces.
I attended Wooloowin State school. I was an average student. Loved English, but, hated Maths. I enjoyed most sport and represented the school in running. I learned to swim and came third in the swimming carnival in the breast -stroke race. There was one time I got into big trouble at school. A student with much more money than we had, who came to school in nylon dresses, was teasing and making fun of us, in a sewing lesson. I just lost my temper, grabbed my scissors, and cut off her pig tail. I was almost expelled by the Head- master, but Dad paid, and I was severely reprimanded and spent a term doing Maths after school.
When drive in movies began, we would pile into Dad’s car, on a Tuesday night, because that was the cheap night, and Grandma would bake sausage rolls, and apple turnovers for interval, and we would watch the movies. I loved musicals best, but usually we saw a Western as these were Dad’s favourite.
When I was thirteen, we moved to our own home in Stafford Heights. I was also just starting High School. I did a commercial course and worked towards a job in the office area. High School was good, and I passed my junior exams and went to work. This was not a happy time, as Dad also started molesting me. Mum was not coping and was overdosing on drugs. Several times I had to call the ambulance, and they would put her in a straight jacket, and take her to hospital.
All
these events molded me, and I am who I am today, through Christ and all these
things. Everything happens for a reason, both the good and the bad. Whilst I may not have had the greatest
childhood, I survived and have gone on with life to better and greater things.
