I was born in London, England. We lived in Muswell Hill on the corner of Etheldene Avenue and The Chine, right beside the Tennis Club. I went to school in Highgate, where Karl Marx is buried and Dick Whittington turned. It seems other famous people are also buried at Highgate, including Faraday, George Eliot and Radclyffe Hall.
On 18 July 1963 — exactly 40 years ago today — we boarded a cargo ship: the P&O Line’s Port Townsville and began a 6-week journey to New Zealand. My brother, aged 15, worked in the engine room. There were only a dozen passengers: one other family and a few other individuals. We made calls at Le Havre (France), Genoa (Italy), Port Said (Egypt), Aden (Yemen) and finally Auckland. Then we piled 2 adults, two teenagers, an eight year-old (me) and a pile of luggage into an Austin A50 car and travelled to Wellington by road and on to Christchurch by ferry.
I lived in Christchurch and other parts of Canterbury from 1963. This is where I learned that the world is flat with a ring of mountains round the edge. The Port Hills in Christchurch and the Southern Alps framed my life for about 25 years. In 1989 I came to Wellington, living first in Houghton Bay and now near the top of Mt Victoria. I no longer believe the world is flat …
KnowIT by RSS
Add your Comment