The Reluctant Pom Photos

Hi all,
Just a quick post to let you know that I have added some photos of my time down under in Australia to my website . All you have to do is go to the home page click on any book and then click on "The Reluctant Pom" cover and you'll find the photos.
Here's a sample.

I was a sixteen years old when this photo was taken out side our house at 17, Carmichael Street, West Footscray, Melbourne. A fresh faced young lad who was dragged half-way around the world because my dad  thought Australia would be the land of beer and money.

I recently went onto google street map to see if the old place was still standing but sadly it's been demolished and a new house has been built in its place. It is interesting to note that while I was in the area on my computer I had a good look around at some of my old haunts and it made me kind of sad. I may have been a reluctant pom, but Australia still tugs at my heart strings when I see it on the telly.

I met my first wife in Australia and we did most of our courting on the veranda of her parent's house at number 1, Dove Street, West Footscray. I popped along there on street map and found that it is still there and looks almost the same as it did 47 years ago. What a great invention street map is, to be able to roam about the streets where I grew up on the other side of the world is just down right amazing.

One thing I did notice, which was a bit of a shock was the amount of graffiti that could be seen on some of the walls in West Footscray. My memories are all of a clean and tidy place without rubbish or graffiti, but back then in the sixties perhaps I was just too young to notice.