A Summer Holiday

The New Year 1965 began with a Summer family holiday trip to Adelaide. I helped Dad to polish our blue Zephyr 6 in preparation for our trip and on 4th January I packed my guitar and we headed off with a caravan in tow. On the way to Adelaide we stopped at Gisborne, Bendigo and Lake Boga. We stayed overnight at Swan Hill caravan park and Yvonne and I went for a walk into town. The next day we stopped at Robinvale and Mildura and went for a paddle steamer ride on the Murray River. That night, back at the caravan park I sat and practised my guitar.

We travelled on to Adelaide via Renmark and Morgen. I bought a newspaper at Adelaide station to look for my matriculation exam results and was pleased to discover that I had passed English. Yvonne wrote a letter to her boyfriend Robert. I considered writing to Rosemary as I could not stop thinking about her but after much thought, I eventually decided that I would try to forget her and move on.

The next day, we walked through the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and I bought another paper to learn that I had also passed Physics. In the evening, we drove out to Windy Point to view the lights of Adelaide.

The following day I walked into the city and bought another paper but this time I was disappointed to find that I had not passed Maths. I was not surprised as my study efforts throughout my final year at high school had left a lot to be desired due to my preoccupation with the band, the church youth group and most of all, with Rosemary. Nevertheless, I was not overly concerned as I knew that I would be able to pick up maths whilst studying the communications engineering course at RMIT.

Later in the day, Yvonne and I rode the paddle boats on the lake in Elder Park. We then drove out to Tea Tree Gully to see the factory that my high school friend Ray McHenry had helped to build. On the Saturday, we drove to Belair and had lunch in the National Park. On that day, the temperature reached 98° Fahrenheit and we went swimming at Brighton Beach. In the evening, Yvonne and I went to a rock dance called "The Townsville Club" at the Palais Royale in North Terrace.

The next day, being Sunday, the whole family attended a church service at the Adelaide Baptist Church in "the city of churches". At the time, I was interested to see how Baptists worshipped. Later in the day we went for a walk and explored the Adelaide Museum and Art Gallery.

On Monday 11th we headed back home via the Mount Lofty Ranges and Salt Creek. I put the L plates on the car and I drove for most of the day. We passed through Robe and Millicent to stay overnight at Mount Gambier where we climbed the lookout tower and then explored the lakes and caves. From there we travelled home via Casterton and Hamilton, staying the night at Port Fairy and on through Warrnambool to Port Campbell where we parked at the camping ground. We called in to see Robert Day at their family farm and Robert took Yvonne for a drive while I went to the beach where I met a couple of girls and we walked down the Beacon Steps. Later our family had dinner at the Day's farmhouse and Robert and I went out to shoot rabbits. The next day I went for a swim while Yvonne and Robert walked to Two Mile Bay. We then went out shooting again and I managed to get one rabbit. In the evening, we went to a local dance where about six people showed up and the band was hopeless.

We drove back home via Camperdown and Colac. By the time we arrived back home, the temperature had reached 105 degrees and after returning the caravan, I read a book to take my mind off Rosie. We later had a visit from Uncle Roy and Auntie Lal from Tynong North, with Barbara, my cousin.

By the end of our family holiday in Adelaide I had determined to put Rosemary out of my mind. It was a month since we had broken up and I had been uncertain about whether we were right for each other but in many ways, being with her had seemed so natural and had felt so right. My quandary was that I had really begun to miss her and if we were not right for each other, why could I not get her off my mind? I wondered if she might have tried to call me while we were away. I thought about reaching out to her again but I think my pride prevented me and eventually I resolved to try to forget about her and move on.

On Sunday 17th January, I went to church as usual at Monash Methodist. After the service, I talked with Shirley Stephens. Shirley was a lovely girl and a good friend.

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