Chapter One - Introduction

 

 I arrived in the world with two distinctive inherited characteristics - a name and a nose. The rest of the package contained the standard working body bits, unique fingerprints and personality, together with a capacity to think, care, cry, yell laugh. In my case, that sums up the nature part of the nature/nurture debate.

Who I now am derives from the stream of significant influences in my life, people, places, events, and how I have responded to them.

My reason for writing this narrative is so that my children may gain an awareness of my journey, and how the people and happenings along the way have shaped me.

Whilst there have been many people and experiences which are important and memorable in my life, the following people are those who have profoundly influenced my learning, thinking, feeling, and acting in my walk through the world. I have termed these, significances and they are, in chronological order of when I first met or experienced them:

James Arthur Wotherspoon, my father (1945)

Elsie Florence Julia Saunders, my mother (1945)

Ernest Saunders, my stepfather (1949)

Maryborough (1950)

Brisbane (1961)

Brisbane Arts Theatre (1962)

Peter, Bunty, Wendy Hitchener (1962)

Ronnie, Donnie, Graeme and Gary (1962)

Fred Parks (1963/4)

The Vietnam War (1965)

Paul Simon (1966)

Writing (1967 onwards)

Melbourne (1969)

Margaret Richardson, now my wife, Margaret Wotherspoon, (1969)

Leonard Cohen (1971)

Townsville  (1973)

Jane Wotherspoon, my daughter (1975)

Murarrie and the People of Murarrie (1975)

Fraser Robert Plummer, Director of the Department of Children’s Services (1975)

Emily Wotherspoon, my daughter (1976)

Youth Employment Support Scheme (1978)

Tony Kelly (1981)

Timothy Wotherspoon, my son (1982)

TAFE (1993)

Steve Getto, Jane’s Life Partner (1996 – approx)

Dr Alston Unwin (2000 – approx/)

Angus Wotherspoon, Jane and Steve’s son, my grandson (2005)

Troy Baker, Emily’s spouse (2005, approx)

Isaac Wotherspoon, Steve and Jane’s son, my grandson

TAFE Students, all of them, incredible, wonderful people (1993 – present)

WORKING STRUCTURE

The structure will be in the form of chapters titled (possibly) after each of the significant influences. This will mean that some will be a lot longer than others (or it may mean that I have several chapters devoted to one particular influencing individual or group – e.g. TAFE and TAFE Students).

Each section will also contain a whole cast of supporting players, together with anecdotes and incidents concerning the people and places, the times and the events.

So it will look something like the structure of the newspaper story in each section, with the main points at the top (the significance), then other important factors, then the isolated incidents/etc., then the one liners, and maybe finish up with a straight list of the people (as many as I can remember) who walked beside me on my journey at that time of my life.

PROCESS

The beauty of the structure is that I can simply pop in ideas, names, incidents as they occur to me, in the particular significance section, together with any major learning or shifts made in my life as a result of that significance.

For each section I will (try to) have a set little format:

The Significance: This will recount the major events, the learning, and the changes in course that I made

Dominant People: People, places, events who/which were major players, together with whatever interesting stories I can recall, and the learning gained/shifts made.

Example: Ern

The Character:  Ern the inventor, the parent, the partner, the mystery, the mattress maker, the pacific’s, the beekeeper, the anti-gambler, the recluse of the Patch.

The Events: At the shop, holidays, films, life on the Patch, Sunday afternoon drives, beltings and fines.

The Learning: Respect, responsibility, honesty, war is wrong; me being lazy and stupid

The Formations and Changes in My Life: I am lazy and stupid and will never succeed in life. My views on politics, religion, life (it’s going to hell on a sled!)

Supporting Cast: Those that played a lesser role, but to whom are attached some interesting anecdotes, important learning little shifts in thinking or direction.

Examples: Austin

The Character: Railway worker, accountant, partner, parent, rugby league man, baldness

The Events: Holidays in Sydney, Paddle Wheel Motel, Gove, Life Story,

The Formations and Changes in My Life: Different points of view to Ern; idea of working in Sydney. But I never quite had the confidence to go with Austin’s guidance – lack of self-esteem.

Extras: The one-line, one sentence, or merely listed people (put in categories where possible).

Examples: School

The Characters - Teachers: Mrs Churchill, Mr Gillen, Polly Perkins, L R Black (Chookie), Mr Hills, Miss Schulz.

The Events: Blue eyes, spelling for Grade Five class, canings, bursary, whirling round the sundial, walking home to get vegetables from high school, no friends.

The Formations and Changes: Lack of confidence with peers, ability to get on with older people and younger people, reading (no sports).

Some people will be stars at some point of my life, but will enter at other times as a supporting player – for example, my mother. Her major role in my life was giving birth to me, and nurturing me. Because my stepfather, Ern Saunders, was so dominant in my growing years, he was responsible for almost all of my learning about life, and the development of my self-concept.

Tidying up: When I have written all I can recall, I will put it all together, or get someone else to do it. It would sort of be good to do this as a running on-line journal, or blog, and share it with the world, but readers would have to get used to my jumping all over the place in time and place and events.

.

  

.