Cynthia Powell, Neil Heneker (middle) me, Vicki Heneker at Kersbrook Pine Forest
Just for a change I decided to use a more recent photograph….o.k. not THAT recent!!! I wish.
The picture is of myself (on the right) with the dress on, my little brother Neil and my cousin Cynthia Powell (who we called Tinny) not sure why? The setting is the Kersbrook pine forest. Her dad, my uncle, was the caretaker of the forest. In the summer it was the most wonderful place, cool, packed tightly with pine trees (I think this photo was taken at the edge of the forest and near the house). Tinny and I would spend hours in the forest, finding little creeks still with water in them, even in the middle of the hottest summer. The smell of the pines was just gorgeous, and that smell always takes me back to those days. Their old house had a wood stove, and I always remember my first sense was the smell of the wood burning in the stove and my aunties home made goodies she seemed to continually bake.
" I remember one late afternoon, Tinny and I decided to walk through the forest to another relatives house on the other side of the forest. It was a dirt fire track and our parents and brothers had gone there by car. Anyway, it started to get dark very quickly, especially being in the forest, the sun was blocked out. We kept walking, there was absolutely no light, even from the moon or stars, we couldn't see them because of the canopy of trees. There had been a big "old red kangaroo" terrorising anyone silly enough to walk through the forest at sunset (we had been told by my uncle). We started to get a bit scared I think, and then we saw lights coming towards us. This scared us even more!!! Thank goodness it turned out to be my dad and the family in the car. They were on their way back to my auntie's house, thinking we girls were safe and sound there. I think we got a bit of a yelling at, for being out in the dark and with the old red hanging about. Back then of course, we were pretty safe, no one around, especially in that area, which was not easy to get to, and not as many young hoons screaming about in cars were on the roads. Still it was an adventure and one I have never forgotten."
Pine Forest at Mt Crawford near Kersbrook
Photograph from http://www.jmclum.com on Flickr.com
