The Blacksmith’s Daughter by Fay Berry 2013 © - Chapter 35 - 1957 06 10 - Fay Berry

The Blacksmith’s Daughter – Chapter 35

After a long bus trip from Qld to Sydney I was now staying with the Spencers at Fairfield, NSW. Barry Spencer and I were still an “item” together but somehow it really wasn’t working out. Barry seemed to me to “have everything” a girl could possibly want in a boyfriend and yet I had doubts as to whether there could be a “future” for us together. I met up with Barbara Etherington at the social at the Brown’s home and we both agreed that we had got off to a bad start back in Adelaide when she had stayed with us last year. We “made up” and promised to get on better from now on. It seemed that Barbara still liked my brother Graham and wanted him to come to Sydney to live.

After leaving the Deversons I went to stay with David and Peggy Joseph at their home at “Nailsworth” farm, about four miles from the Joseph farm at Bodalla, at least as the crow flies, but 24 miles by road. I helped Peggy lay some felt carpet in their lounge and then rearrange the furniture on the newly laid carpet. In the evening we visited the Joseph family farm, travelling the 24 miles to get there. Then it was on to the Deversons to stay. Next day, Sister Deverson and I went shopping in Sydney and also spent some time at the Philp’s home at Loftus, folding Logos magazines. We visited Cronulla Beach and walked to the rocks taking photos all the way. Jimmy Green was my transport to and from meetings and he showed the conference movies he had taken during the Southport Conference. These movies caused me some little disquiet because I featured in each them to an inordinate degree and I was worried about my parents’ reaction to these movies when they were shown in Adelaide later in the year.

Ken Kirkwood was being married today, the 15th June 1957, and we were going to watch the wedding. In the morning the Philps took us to Botany Bay and then back to the wedding at the Lakemba Hall in the afternoon. In the evening there was a welcome back for Ted and Bev Russell at the Hurstville hall which was a great deal of fun. Malcolm Kirkwood drove me back to the Deverson’s place after the social. I went to the Lakemba meeting on the Sunday morning traveling there by train. After the meeting I was invited by David and Wendy Pogson to have lunch with them at the Domain where David was to speak at the Christadelphian stand. Watching all the spruikers at the Domain was quite an experience for me, such amazing diversity, a regular “Mars Hill.” David and Wendy drove me to Sydenham and from there I caught a train and then a taxi back to the Deversons. In the evening I went to the meeting at Sutherland to hear Ted Spongberg speak. Malcolm Kirkwood again drove me home.

Then it was Goodbye again and the Deverson’s drove me to the airport and they and the Spencers saw me and Ruth Eakins off on our final journey back to our homes in Adelaide. I said my last, and as it turned out, my final, goodbyes to Barry Spencer. When we were in the air, Ruth and I, “Godlike” looked down on the miniature world below us, both thinking our private thoughts. Ruth no doubt thinking about her flourishing romance with Frank Peden and Fay about her fading romance with Barry Spencer, still wondering why it hadn’t “worked” out. What is this “chemistry” that either works or it doesn’t?

DIARY ENTRIES

19570610 Monday – I woke up slowly this morning, but when I did, I hopped in with Lyn, twin # 1, and Ruth Eakins. Judy, twin # 2, is at the nursing home still. Then Barry and Colin came in, threatening to pull us out of bed. We all had breakfast in dribs and drabs and wiped up the dishes in the same manner. Colin had to leave this morning so we all gave him one last teasing. He’s a really great person. Barry went to work and then Colin and I went to the station, talking and laughing all the way. He kissed me goodbye, making a total of about half a dozen times he has kissed me at various times and places. I have never been kissed so much in my life as I have been on this trip. I suspect Colin has had the time of his life, because I have been told that he is normally quite shy. I walked back home and met Bro Spencer on the way and stopped to talk to him for a while. He seems to like me which is great and I certainly hope that he does. I met Lyn at the gate and she was waving furiously. I tore down the path and then she told me that they were taking Skeet to the station and I had to hurry if I wanted to go with them. Ruth was still in her pyjamas and was feeling rather self-conscious about it. We saw Skeet off and then returned home and got ready to go into town.

When at last we were ready we caught the train to St James and then went shopping in David Jones. Ruth and I both decided to have our hair set. The hairdresser did a really good job too and I was very pleased with how my hair looked when she had finished. This typing in trains is no easy job. We then went shopping for shoes for me and eventually I bought a pair of taupe shoes at Farmers. From there we went to ANA and booked Ruth on the plane for Monday and changed my booking onto the same flight and with seats next to each other. Then at long last we made our way to the Brown’s place for the social. Lyn and I walked down with Ruth to the Brown’s house. We were late for dinner, but it was still waiting for us when we arrived. Barry arrived later and we sat in the lounge listening to records. Then Barry and I walked down to the station to meet the others. He’s just the right height for me and I fit under his arm just right. He should be just perfect for me. He really has got “everything,” I really don’t know why I still have doubts. Some of the others walked down too, but we crossed over the bridge and stood waiting on the other side. I think Barry likes me a lot. We walked down on the other side of the railway line and caught up with the rest at the Brown’s gate. When we went in again, Don Warner was there so I sat next to him and talked to him for some time. He is such a nice boy. He has a really gentle nature and is someone who you could trust to be really dependable. That’s a characteristic I would really like in a boy, trustworthiness and dependability. I think “security” is very important to me.

The rest of the Young People began arriving and there was such a crowd! I went upstairs to the bedroom and met up with Barbara Etherington there. She asked me if she could have a talk with me afterward. It was Barbara’s birthday and some other girl’s birthday and the party was more or less for them. We did the readings first and Barry Spencer, Judith Vinall and Joy Nettlebeck (this is the girl who was at Rob Wallace’s 16th birthday party in Adelaide. She is from Nuriootpa. She is very, very pretty, with black curly hair, red lips and white skin) and another lad did the reading. Then the social began. It was really good. Afterward, Barbara, Barry and I sat on the steps and talked about “current affairs” in the O’Connor household. She wanted Graham to come to Sydney and said that she wished she could get Dad to let him. We both made apologies to each other about the way we had treated each other when she had stayed at our place. I didn’t actually DO anything, but I certainly didn’t make her feel very welcome. Still we made it up and we are good friends now, and not only that, we have both changed a lot, for the better I hope. Barry was funny, he kept trying to make me jealous during the evening by paying attention to Sylvia Pearce and I think it annoyed him that it had no affect on me at all. He got sick of it though after a while, and then went the opposite way and lavished all his attention on me. It is obvious to me that he can tell that I have doubts about him, and maybe he has the same doubts about me. Maybe we are just not suited.

We saw the slides of the conference again. Some of them were pretty good. There was one of Lyn Spencer and Ray Tutticci and everyone came out with the usual, “Tut, Tut, Tut,” and “HooRay for Lyn,” etc. Dear Lyn, she loves the attention whilst pretending to hate it. We sang hymns around the piano for a while and Norma Bastock sang “Serenade” from the Student Prince and Lyn Spencer sang “Jealousy.” They both have lovely voices. We had a really slap up supper and then it was time for us to go. We said goodbye to Bro and Sis Brown and Barry and I walked out to Frank Peden’s car. We more or less said goodbye there, because we knew we may not get many more chances to do so. I won’t be seeing Barry much from now on because I go to David and Peggy’s place tomorrow and then on to the Deversons. After a fair while, Ruth, Frank and Lyn came and we all got into Frank’s car. Barry and I sat in the back and got rubbished most of the way, but we gave as good as we got. Of course, Ruth got an earful from everyone about of the night Tut and Lyn took Barry and me to see the sights of Sydney. “They didn’t see the Storey Bridge though” said Lyn. That was referring to Barry and me sitting in the back seat of Tut’s car kissing as we crossed the Storey Bridge while they were urging us to look at the Bridge and we ignored them.

When we arrived home, Lyn went inside and Ruth stayed out in the car to say goodbye to Frank and Barrie and I did the same in the kitchen. Then Ruth came in and then Ruth and I went to the bedroom and got ready for bed. While Ruth was in the bathroom, Lyn came and sat on my bed and we talked together for a while. She’s such a lovely girl and I really love her. Well, this is the last night I spend at the Spencers. If Barrie lived in Adelaide, I suspect that I probably would not end up going with him, but, hey, this is Sydney, and I don’t have to make any big decisions right now. Anyway, I hope some good will come of our friendship. His mother says I have “done him some good,” because “he’s changed and intends to be baptised soon.” I personally don’t think he has much Bible knowledge yet, but I’ve talked about the Bible so much with him which seems to have increased his interest. We shall see anyway. Wonder what he will be like in a few years’ time? He could be really worthwhile knowing then, though I don’t expect he will be available for me then, because half the girls in Sydney will be after him, that’s for sure.

19570611 Tuesday – I think that Sydney is nothing but a madhouse. Sister Spencer woke me this morning and I dressed in a rush, trying to get ready for the Joseph’s abode. I was too late to go with Barrie because he had to leave before eight. I said goodbye to him, then to Sister Spencer. Lyn and I were just walking out the gate when Brother Spencer suggested that he take us by car. Lyn came into the station with me and I said goodbye to her there. I’ll miss her. She’s a lovely girl. I caught the train to Granville and inquired about my next steps from there. I caught the train to Parramatta. I didn’t realise it was such a short trip to Parramatta and had to really scramble to get off in time. I was directed from there to Platform 3 where I did my best to look lost and the guard befriended me and told me he would see me off the train at Pentrith. So now, I’m sitting in the carriage next to the guard’s room so that he can tell me when to get off. I did some typing until I arrived at the Penrith station. Peggy met me there and gave me a good ticking off for being 2 hours late. That’s the third time I’ve been over an hour late for an appointment. We went shopping in Penrith after that then drove home.

Just before we arrived at Wallacia we passed Davy boy (David Joseph) on the tractor. We stopped and talked to him for a while, then Peggy started up again and we arrived at “Nailsworth farm.” David came in a bit later and we had lunch – fish and chips. We talked for some time and then David went back to work. His last parting words to Peggy before he left were, “Have the kitchen cleaned by the time I come back.” Of course, one word from him and Peggy does just as she likes and we went into the lounge and started sewing the new feltex for the lounge together. The room should look nice when it is finished. The lounge suite is contemporary and the color a deep red, matches in beautifully with the grey feltex. At least, it looks as though it will when the feltex is down. David came in a bit later (and not much had been done) and David kicked up a fuss, in a nice way though, and we both laughed at him. After afternoon tea, we set to work again and soon had the curtains up. Then David came in again so Peggy decided that perhaps she had better clean up the kitchen which she did. Then came the laying of the carpet. With much playful squabbling the stuff got laid and then it was time for dinner.

Over dinner, we talked about tons of things, about Charlie and Beth, about Lakemba ecclesia etc. Then we had to rush to get ready to go to the Joseph’s house. It’s funny, the Josephs only live about 4 miles away if you go directly to their place but there is no road to their place and there is a river to cross. It is 24 miles to get to their place if you go by road. We arrived there rather late and everyone was either in bed or on the way to bed. They all got up again, however, and we all talked for ages. They wanted to know all about Beth and Charlie’s plans. I couldn’t help them much because I don’t know their plans myself. Chris and Tim were kicking up quite a din in the other room (they were in bed) so I went in to talk to them for a while. It’s funny that they remember me so well from last time. I suppose it is because visitors are fairly rare in the country. At last Peggy got up and said we were going home.

29570612 Wednesday – This morning, we lingered over breakfast, talking and talking and not wanting to leave. David told me that there was an article in the Sydney Morning Herald about a brother in Egypt who has been arrested and charged with spying and he has been sentenced to life imprisonment. I have typed the article out and included it in my diary. Uncle Perce has written something about it in the February Logos under the heading, “How would you Occupy your time?” It describes how a Christadelphian in solitary confinement for six wees, as this brother was before he was sentenced, could have spent his time, if allowed his Bible and Elpis Israel. At last, David went out to do some work and Peggy and I started transferring things into the lounge. The lounge looked really nice and she has some beautiful china in her display cabinet. I rang up the Spencers early in the afternoon and asked them to send my luggage to Loftus. By tea time, Peg and I had just about exhausted all the subjects concerning both Adelaide and Sydney, though there was still plenty to talk about. David was onto us to hurry up because we were going to have a chinese meal in town on the way to the Deversons. I packed as quickly as I could, dressed in my suit and soon we had left Wallacia behind and were on our way to Sydney.

We stopped for our Chinese meal in one of the suburbs of Sydney and we each ordered a different meal and shared. The meal was so filling. I was just about bursting by the time we left the restaurant. As I walked out the door, a man standing in the shadows gave a low wolf whistle. David came out after me and gave the man a dirty look. A minute later, two young girls, not more than 13 years old passed by and the same man whistled at them. The two girls stopped and flirted with him. Crazy kids! David started up the car muttering something under his breath. We arrived at Loftus at about 9.00 pm and David transferred my luggage from the car into the house. I walked in and said hello to everyone and it didn’t enter my head that David and Peggy didn’t know the Deversons because in Adelaide, nearly all Christadelphians know each other. I felt a bit awful when Peggy asked to be introduced. I hurriedly introduced her, apologizing for my oversight. We stayed chatting for some time and then Peggy and David said it was time they went. I kissed them both goodbye and watched them drive off. I will miss them both. Brother Deverson gave up trying to prepare his exhortation and we all sat and talked for a while. Anthony was in bed but soon he was dressed again and out with us. It was quite late before we went to bed and I was tired.

19570613 Thursday – This morning we all got up early. Anthony had to go to work, Brother Deverson was fixing up a chimney and Sister Deverson and Pat and I went into town to buy some shoes for Pat. We caught a train to St James and went from there to David Jones. We went up to the shoe department and made straight for the poor unfortunate shop assistant who was there and settled down to business. I strolled around the department looking for shoes that might suit and every now and then I’d report back and tell them if I had seen anything I thought was worth trying on. After trying on dozens of pairs of shoes it seemed, Pat decided that there was nothing there to suit her and so we went on to Farmers. We went upstairs to the shoe department and went through the same ritual. This time, however, I got caught up in the feeling of it all and ended up with a pair of shoes for myself. I don’t know what got into me. They were six pound 12 shillings!! Really high, pencil heels, and made of black kid. They looked lovely, but I hated to think what Charles and Beth would say. Pat also found some shoes to suit and she bought them and both of us were well satisfied with our “shopping spree.” We went to George Street in search of the bank that Barry works in. I went into the middle of the road at one stage and asked a policemen where it was and he told me it was no 252 just before Martin Place. We walked for miles and then found the National Bank at last. Sister Deverson and Pat said they would call back in ten minutes and in the meantime I could see Barry. I went inside and asked if Barry Spencer worked there but was told that he worked in the branch across from Wynyard Station.

I walked up to Wynyard but then thought the others might be back so I retraced my steps and found them waiting for me. I told them that Barrie didn’t work there but in the bank further up the street. They told me that Anthony Deverson worked in a place which was right next to the first bank I had tried. We decided to go in and see him, so Pat and I entered the building and asked for Anthony. We were directed down a flight of steps and there, sure enough we found Anthony, just recovering from a nose bleed. Seems he has been having them quite often just lately. We talked to him for while and he came out the front with us where his mother was waiting. We had intended having lunch with him, but decided not to, but to go home for lunch. We left him after a while and walked down to Wynyard. Just as we were passing a siren started to blare and four fire brigade trucks raced by and stopped in front of Coles. All curiosity, we crossed over and peered through one of the windows of Coles to see where the fire was. A firefighter appeared from the basement and as he passed us, he muttered, “False alarm.” All that for nothing. Still, I guess they have to have something to keep them on their toes.

The National Bank was just next to Coles so I went in to find Barry and the others looked around the shops for a while. I was directed to the second floor by girl who worked there and I found my way into the bills department. Barry was working hard when I arrived, but he looked up and saw me and left his desk and made his way over to me. He looked pleased to see me and asked me if I would have dinner with him, but I told him I was going home for dinner. He had the Conference photos with him, so I had a look at them. They were very small and he gave me a magnifying glass to look at them. Some of them were quite good but some weren’t. There was one taken at the Oasis with us all posed up. There was one he had taken of me sitting against a curved concrete block. I was wearing borrowed leopard skin bathers and because the food had been so bad at Chelmsford I had lost a lot of weight during the Conference, so in this photo my figure was pretty, well, Wow! It was taken when the ANA (plane line) fellows had taken the photos for their advertisement and ANA had posed the photos and Barry just took the photo they were taking with his own camera. I told Barrie that I would be going to Daniel class tomorrow night and that Jimmy Green would be arranging the transport for me. Instead, Barrie suggested that I meet him in town. I told him I would ring him tomorrow and let him know.

I went to meet up with Deversons again and we went round to Wyndham station, had a milkshake and then started on our way home. When we arrived, Pat and I went around to the Philps and said hello to Elaine Philp. She’d had a bad day and was looking rather tired. We talked to her for a while but didn’t stay long. Then Pat and I walked up to the phone to ring Jimmy Green and while we were about it we went into the station to see if my luggage had turned up yet. It had, so I got the fellows in the station to carry it over the road to a shop where we could see Adrian’s car parked. We asked Adrian if he would take my case back to the Deversons for us. He said he would and so we left it there and went down to the phone booth again. I rang Jimmy and asked him about tomorrow night and he said that he would pick Barry and me up outside Wynyard in York Street and we could come to his place for tea. I thanked him and then rang up Barry and told him the arrangements. So that’s that. I hate all these phone calls, I keep forgetting to make some of them. On the way home we paid a short visit to the Shane’s place and went on to the Deversons after that. By this time it was just about time for dinner. Grant Shane came in and then Anthony arrived and over dinner we all discussed our Bible classes and studies. Then Bruce Philp came in the middle of the meal and told us that whenever we were ready we could come over to his house for folding of the Logos magazines and the “Story of the Bible,” so after the dishes were done, we all trooped over to the Philp’s place. My job was to fold the inserts, then stamp all the folded and wrapped magazines. There were 6 of us there altogether under Bruce’s eagle eye. While we were working Bruce joked and kept things going with a swing.

19570614 Friday – This morning Pat and Anthony and I ended up at the Philp’s playing table tennis. He’s got worse if anything at table tennis and it seems to me that it is through playing with Adrian. Adrian has a slow “get the ball over somehow” technique, and a game with him developed into a test of endurance rather than a game of table tennis. I won all the games I played, mainly because they would hit one that I was just supposed to tap back, but I would smash them all and they couldn’t return them. I left them playing after a while and returned to the house to get my camera. I came back and took some photos of the Deversons. We played for a fair while afer that, but at last we decided that we had better return home. We had lunch, then all piled into the car and went for a drive to Cronulla. The Deverson’s bomb is nothing but a mangle. All the way we were choked from the fumes. They’ve blown a gasket or something and the whole car rattles and shakes along the road. When at last we arrived at Cronulla, we walked down to the shore, then followed the beach until we came to the rocks. We walked along for a while taking photos of each other as we went. It’s quite funny seeing people having their photos taken because they go all coy and end up looking stupid. Sister Deverson was quite funny. Anthony took her photo and she stood coyly and looked so funny. Then she wonders why she doesn’t take a good photo. We turned back after a while and then had to rush home because it was getting late and I had to get into town by 5 o’clock. While I had a shower, Sister Deverson pressed my frock and in no time I was dressed and ready.

Brother Deverson drove me to Sutherland and I caught a train to Wynyard. I reached the Bank at 5.00 pm on the dot and I stood there waiting for about 10 minutes. I got into a conversation with a girl who was also waiting outside the Bank. Then Barrie came out and we walked around to Wynyard in York Street and waited for Jimmy Green there. His ute soon rolled up and Barry and I got in. Jimmy is such a nice boy. He’ll do anything for anyone. I hadn’t realised how far it was for him to come and pick us up. I said to him, “Jimmy, I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but you are simply an angel.” He laughed and then just joked around because he was embarrassed. When we arrived at his place, he introduced us to his mother and his grandmother. Fancy living there alone with two old ladies. His mother wasn’t terribly old, but his grandmother was a rather wizened old lady, it would be a terribly old atmosphere.

We had dinner, a very nice one and we talked about the Conference films that Jimmy had taken. He said he would show them to us if we liked. We liked! They were wonderful films, but actually very incriminating for me. I was in them an awful lot. I couldn’t believe how many times I appeared in his films. The first time was when Barrie and I were walking along holding hands and talking to someone else. When I had seen Jimmy and his movie camera I had poked my tongue out at him. The next time was with Eric Mansfield and Barry Stretton when we were fooling around together on the balcony at Chelmsford. Eric had his arm around me. The next was when I was walking up the stairs cramming some cake in my mouth. I spluttered and tried to escape the camera. The next was in the group when we were having the conference photos taken. I was sitting in between Ray Tutticci and Barry and someone threw a ball at me and I threw it back, straight at the camera. It had an almost 3D effect. Then I was standing with a group of boys listening to Bill Boyd play his guitar, when I saw the camera I lifted up Bill’s 10-gall hat to the camera. I watched the movie with growing disquiet, I thought,”Surely that has to be it?” but no, there was one of Barrie and me walking arm in arm to the buses at National Park. I didn’t mind that one so much because it was a good one. He showed another movie as well which again had a number of pictures of me in them and there was one there, taken whilst the camp photos were being taken. I came tumbling down a sandhill head over heels and Jimmy Green had captioned it “Fay-away!” What really worries me is what my family is going to think because Jimmy says he was going to show all these movies when he comes to Adelaide next time. Oh dear!

Skeet Spencer rang up then and asked Jimmy if he would give her a lift to the Daniel Class as she had just got home from the camp and wouldn’t be able to make it otherwise. He said he would. When we left, we were running a bit late so we tore round to Skeet’s place and picked her up. We arrived at the Peden’s place a short while before the meeting started. We looked at the photos that were circling around the room. Barrie had his photos there and everyone looked at them, including the ones taken at the Oasis by the pool. There was a great crowd at the meeting, including Eric Mansfield and many other good friends. Sandy Peden took the class. I think the Peden’s are pleased that Ruth looks like becoming their daughter-in-law. After the meeting Jimmy showed his films and everyone was thinking up captions for each of the scenes. I kept worrying about what Mum and Dad would say when the films come to Adelaide, and more to the point, what my dear brother Charles will say, that’s even more of a worry! Jim took the Spencer’s home as well as me. Barrie said he’d see me Saturday. It took us ages to get home.

19570615 Saturday – It was arranged that we go for a drive to Wollongong, a trip that would have lasted all day, but that soon went out the window because of Ken Kirkwood’s wedding. We (Pat and I) went over to the Philps to see what they intended doing for the day. We went by the back way to their place, namely over the neighbor’s fence. Elaine Philp lowered a ladder over the fence and we climbed over, but even with that, Pat ripped her blouse. We went inside and immediately a smell of burning assailed us. Bruce’s toast, burnt to a crisp! We put it on a plate and Pat and I carried it into his room and presented it to him with a flourish. For the next quarter of an hour we laughed until our sides ached. Bruce Philp is definitely quite mad. At last we decided on what we wanted to do tht day. Bruce would take us in his car to Botany Bay. All that was needed was to get him and May up. We dragged Bruce out and then proceeded to May Frederickson’s room and pulled her out of bed too. Pat and I then went back to the Deverson’s and told them about the new arrangements for the day.

At last the Philp mobile arrived with Adrian, Aunty Elaine’s brother driving and Pat Deverson and I piled in. Pat was in the front with Bruce and Adrian and May and I in the back with Bruce Junior and Victor Philp plus a basketful of Logos which we dumped at the post office in Sutherland. From there we went to Botany Bay and on the way in between eating chocolate provided by Bruce, May and I talked about the Conference. It seems that she was really keen on Alan Cheek, but that she would not be writing to him because it would be useless to carry it on when they would be living so far away from each other. She said that she would like to come to Adelaide sooner or later and I said that if she ever did decide to come she could stay at our place. At Botany Bay, we walked along, looking at all the stones laid in memory of the various people who landed at Botany Bay with Captain Cook. May told me that she is related to Captain Cook. Evidently her Great Grandfather was the nephew of Captain Cook’s wife. I told her that the resemblance between her and Captain Cook was remarkable…!

There was a stone laid on a little pile of rocks a short way out from the shore, so I took my shoes off and went out to it. It had something written about the nephew of Captain Cook’s wife being the first person to set foot on that mound of rocks. I guess May must have been related to him too, whoever he was. May took some photos then we returned to the car and started on our way back. When we arrived home we had to rush to get ready for the wedding The wedding was at Lakemba and I was introduced to countless Kirkwood’s. They’re a crew and a half, that’s for sure. We went inside eventually and I sat with the Deverson’s. A woman sitting at the back called me over and introduced herself as Sister Crewes and told me that she could tell that I was Charlie’s sister. Then came the inevitable questions about when Charlie intended coming to live in Sydney.

Bro and Sister Basil McClure were sitting in front of me and I asked them if they had forgiven me yet for failing to turn up at their place the other night. They forgave me. Ken Kirkwood looks awfully like Malcolm Kirkwood. I wondered why Malcolm wasn’t best man. From all reports, it was rather unusual, because Ken and Malcolm were reportedly inseparable. The wedding was really lovely. Their ceremony was different to ours in that they kiss after it and that is “not done” in Adelaide, I don’t know why. I guess Adelade is more stiff and starchy than Sydney. After the wedding came the usual throwing of confetti etc. Basil McClure was taking movies. Faith Joseph was at the wedding and I met lots of others I hadn’t met before. Everyone of them asked me about Charlie. I wonder why they are so interested in him? I talked to Basil for a while and he told me that Charlie seemed to be procrastinating and it seemed as thought he wouldn’t be coming back to Sydney for a fair while now. I’m beginning to feel quite guilty about it all, as though I’m responsible, even thought I know I am not.They all seem to think he has no right to stay in Adelaide and they want him to come rather urgently. We went home at last and I told the Deverson’s that there was a welcome back for Ted and Bev Russell on at Hurstville which I would like to go to. I asked if Pat and Anthony would like to come too. They did. After dinner I rang Barry and asked him if he would like to come as well. We got ready and caught the train to Hurstville. Julie came too. She was Anthony’s girlfriend but Anthony told me that he is not interested in her any more and it looks to me as though he is giving her the “brush off.” I certainly hope it is not because of me, because although I like Anthony a lot, I am certainly not interested in him in that way.

When we arrived at Hurstville, the evening was about to start and Walter Pearce came out to get us to hurry up. It was held in the upper hall, and when we went up, the place was crowded out. All the Russell’s were there. They looked surprised to see me. There weren’t many seats left and all the Conference-ites (males) were offering me their knees to sit on. Barry and the rest of the Spencers (Lyn and Skeet) arrived late and Barry came and sat next to me. The first game was that stupid game “The Grand old Duke of York.” The games were not very lively, I thought. Not as good as our Kitchen Evening games. After that, Ted and Bev showed their slides from overseas. I don’t know, but slides of scenes overseas just don’t interest me unless they have people in them. Half way through I borrowed some of Skeet’s photos and went outside to look at them. When I looked back into the hall I noticed that Malcolm Kirkwood was there. I wondered why he wasn’t at the wedding. I stood there by the door watching Malcolm. He is a nice boy I thought. At last I went and sat next to Barry again until the slides were finished. Then the games continued and there was a balloon game and to my relief it kept passing me by, but then Walter Pearce waited until I had the balloon and deliberately stopped the music. Everyone cheered madly and I was supposed to sit on the balloon. I didn’t though, I had already prepared in case I ended up with the balloon by having a pin in my hand, so I just exploded the balloon and that solved that.

Then it was time for supper and we wall went downstairs. I said, “Hello” to all the Russell ‘s and to Dick Mansfield. It was the first time I had seen him but you could tell he was a Mansfield. Barry was looking around for me. By the time I eventually arrived at his side he was surrounded by girls. He put his arm around my waist and looked pleased to see me. Anthony asked me how we were getting home and I said that unless anyone was going our way it would be by train. Patricia said she would get Malcolm Kirkwood to take us. She went up and told him all the Loftus-ites needed a lift home and could he take us. On the way home Malcolm told us that he was supposed to be the best man at Ken’s wedding but he had got a puncture on the way to the wedding. Malcolm showed us where he lives on the way home and it is not far from the Deverson’s. When we arrived home at the Deverson’s, Malcolm switched of the engine and we all chatted for about a quarter of an hour and then got out and went inside to bed. When we were inside and Pat and I were in her bedroom I said, as if I were stating a fact, “You like Malcolm, don’t you?” Pat said that she did but that nothing was likely to come of it because he was 11 years older than she was.

19570616 Sunday – This has been a wonderful day! I woke up early this morning, still undecided whether to go to Lakemba or to Sutherland for the morning meeting so I got dressed early, just in case. In dribs and drabs everyone got up and dressed. I decided that I would go to Lakemba so when the Deverson’s left for Sunday School I went with them to Sutherland We went into the hall and asked the best way to get to Lakemba and Bro Ritchie told me to catch a train to Hurstvile and a bus from in front of the Post office to Lakemba Street. I left then and did as I had been told. At Hurstville I asked a woman what bus I would have to catch and she told me a Strathfield bus. I asked the conductor to put me off at Lakemba Street and as usual he forgot. Luckily for me the woman who I had spoken to had told me that Lakemba street was one stop after the Lakemba railway station, so I got off at the right place. I walked from the bus to the Lakemba hall and met Ray, the boy I came home from the Brisbane social with and also Peter Joseph, Beth Joseph’s brother and a crowd of others. I talked with them for a while and then joined Faith Joseph and some of the girls. I sat with Faith on the side of the hall and the boys sat behind us. David and Wendy Pogson came in rather latish and sat in the middle, then David and Peggy Joseph arrived. As David was leaning over talking to someone, he saw me and his jaw dropped. I guess he thought he had seen the last of me when I Ieft their place. After the meeting David Pogson came up and said “Hello.” He asked me about Charles and “What was cooking in that direction, whether Charles and Beth are still coming to Sydney or not. I really like David. He asked me where I was going for lunch and I told him I hadn’t arranged anything yet. He suggested I come with him and Wendy to the Domain for lunch because he was speaking at the Domain. I spoke to tons of people after the meeting and it was always the same question, “When are Charlie and Beth coming back?” Wonder why they are all so concerned about them coming back or not?

I said Goodbye to Bro Joseph, Beth’s dad and all the Joseph’s, all eleven of them and then went to find David. It seemed that David had arranged for David and Peggy Joseph to take me there. When we arrived, David Pogson was already there plus a crowd of others. We all sat on rugs on the lawn in front of the art gallery and had our lunch. I showed my photos around and Kelvin Denford did the same with his. Then we proceeded to the Domain where a throng of people milled around. I’ve never seen anything like it. There were communist stands, Catholic stands, Evolutionist stands and so on, all of them nothing but a lot of exhibitionists, bent on attracting a crowd by any means. We have a similar set up in Adelaide where all the “soap box speakers” go and that is just in the park lands outside of the Botanical gardens. Dad takes us there quite often and it too is like a circus, but nothing like as big as the one in the Sydney Domain, that’s for sure.

The Christadelphian stand was apart from all the others, away from the melee and as they weren’t exhibitionists they didn’t attract as many people. David Pogson gave a talk. I walked around looking at them all (the other people). There was a woman who sang “spiritual” words to pop tunes; a Catholic in heated argument with some woman about which of the apostles was the leader of “the Church.” She had him in a dither. To me there didn’t seem to be one sane person amongst them all. I walked back to our stand where Basil McClure had just given a talk. I came up to Basil and some of the others and said, “Excuse me, I’m lost, does this happen to be Mars Hill?” They laughed and Basil said that it just about could be. Afterward David Pogson asked David and Peggy back to dinner. He said,”Fay is coming as well.” I told him I was expected back at the Deverson’s for dinner. I would have loved to go to his place for dinner but I knew I could not. David asked me when they would all see me again and I told him that I would be coming to Sydney in November for Charles and Beth’s wedding and he said that I would be staying at their place then. I said that I’d love to stay with them and so that was arranged.

David and Wendy drove me to Sydenham where I caught a train to Sutherland and from there I caught a taxi home. The Deverson’s were sitting around the fire when I arrived and after dinner we got ready for the meeting and went to Sutherland. Ted Spongberg was the speaker and he was very good. He has changed his style somewhat, I thought. He no longer seemed to be “Volcano Sponbergo”, just simply Ted, without his fiery way of speaking. Malcolm Kirkwood and Eric Ritchie were sitting behind me in the meeting and afterward Eric told me that he had seen some slides of me that were in Malcolm’s slides.I said I would have liked to see them and Eric said I could see them tonight if I liked. I certainly did like. Malcolm said he would take me home. Malcolm drove his mother and someone else to Eric’s place and we saw the slides. They were good. Then Malcolm drove me back to the Deversons. When we got to the Deverson’s he turned the engine off and we sat and talked. Malcolm told me that he had only been baptised for two years and that prior to that he had been rather wild. I already knew that because others had told me about some of his escapades. Malcolm is one of those boys that seems to bring out the “mothering” instinct in me. We talked for a while longer and then said goodnight and I got out and went inside.

19570617 Monday – Goodbye, Goodbye, goodbye! Since the end of the Conference, that’s all I seem to have been saying. I’ve met people, liked them, loved them, but then it’s Goodbye. If only Christ would come then there would be no more goodbyes. I woke up tired and bit wistful this morning, packed, or should I say, I crammed my clothes into my suitcase, then dressed for breakfast. As usual, I had a long discussion with Bro Deverson. I love talking to him about God and the Bible. After breakfast I kissed everyone goodbye, thanked them for everything and gave Patricia a last reminder to give her mother the present I had left behind. I said goodbye to Anthony and then Bro Deverson drove me to the Airport and I checked my luggage in, sent a telegram to Dad and I hope they are there to pick me up when I arrive back in Adelaide.

The Spencers were there to see me off. Bro Deverson seemed a bit shy with them and said that he’d leave to miss the traffic, so I said goodbye to him. Barry and I went out to look at the plane Ruth and I were flying on. I am really going to miss Barry a lot, but I think we both know that our friendship is unlikely to develop into something deeper. Still we have had a great time together and have both enjoyed having each other to share the conference with and this post conference week as well. I really don’t understand what it is that makes someone who seems to have everything and be everything you could ever possibly want in a partner, not be the one for you. Deep inside you know this person is not the one you want to be with for the rest of your life. That’s how it is with Barry and me. It’s so sad, really.

Ruth arrived and with her the Peden’s. She’s certainly hot and strong with Frank. We all said our goodbyes. Then I said my final goodbye to Barry and before we knew it we were on the plane waving goodbye for the last time. What an experience I have had, being at a conference so far away from home with 180 young people, most of whom you have never met before, all from different parts of Australia, and yet with the one hope binding them all together. You spend 10 short days in their company and it feels like years, not days. When you leave them it is as though you are parting from old friends you have known all your life. Once again we are up in the clouds, looking down over the miniature houses, rivers and hills. You seem to get a peculiar detached feeling as though you don’t belong to the life down below. In fact it seemed as if there is no life beneath, just hills and valleys and clouds. Why does God, who is so much higher above us than this plane care about our selfish little lives? To him the earth must seem just like a toy, a ball “hung on nothing” in the sky. From the sky man seems so small and so …forgetable?

The weather is changing now and we are coming into some air pockets. If God chose, he could cause the elements to fling this toy plane right down to the earth and yet his laws of aerodynamics hold us in the air and we trust that we will land safely. Only fools think there is no God.