BARRY AND PETE NEAR GRAEME'S HOUSE
After two challenging nights of red wine drinking with former 9th Squadron mates, Peter and Graeme I was starting to settle into a Perth rhythm. Graeme was particularly interesting in that ,like me, he excelled in geography, English lit and history at school, graduated from the University of WA,then counter-intuitively served as an aircraft mechanic with the RAAF in Vietnam and retired a few years ago from a teaching post in state schools. Clearly a man who could operate satisfactorily in both hemispheres of his brain. This wasborne out by the diverse and sparkling nature of our red wine-fuelled post-prandial debates.
SREY, PETER, AND GRAEME
It was another sparkling, cooler but sunny morning in Perth and I was seduced from my intention to cycle to the sea by an invitation to go to Wanneroo fruit and vegetable market to get the week’s supplies. Although nothing like Prahran and Victoria markets ( my regular Melbourne haunts) it had a nice community feel and was very quiet for 9am on a Saturday morning.We settled for coffee in a cafe where it took more than 20 minutes to serve what William Angliss TAFE certainly would not have certified as coffee.
Gradually others began to join us some, Anglo Australian,others Cambodian and even the next generation of Eurasian grand kids.When I discovered that the third male of the party was an ex Vietnam vet from 9th squadron. I realised that I was gradually getting to know the airforce's Vietnam veterans mafia of Perth. It seemed there were 20 former squadron mates around the Perth suburbs-almost all with some personal issues emanating from their service in that unpopular and debilitating war.It was good to see how comradely and caring they were towards each other.Peter and Graeme used to work on aircraft that dropped agent orange and had undiluted doses contact their skin.
What really confirmed the special situation I was being initiated into was when I wondered when we would go to buy the produce, poor deluded bachelor that I am. Suddenly the women appeared having shopped for everything.I began to realise these guys had something going here that I was missing out on.
It transpired that Graeme was engaged on fitting out a former squadron helicopter which they had used in supporting the SAS in Vietnam and he was to take me into Swanbourne barracks, Australian SAS HQ,on Wednesday to see their museum, the helicopter and he suggested that I couldget to see the "killing room" where they trained with live ammunition to break hostage sieges without killing the innocent captives and their comrades.This was a special privilege and might provide valuable contacts and information to background the thriller I have set in the Kimberley, which revolves around a special forces action.
VIEW FROM GRAEME'S HOUSE
After this we went to see Graeme's house, meet his wife and then go to Jindaloop for an excellent curry Laksa lunch.On the way back I had a first hand guided tour of the new housing developments spreading out to the north of Perth-amazing how quickly sandy wastes get turned into green garden suburbs with amazing houses.The bars and cafes at the waterside marinas were like private clubs and there sure was some wealth tied up in boats.
LOCAL MARINA
Setting is much like Queensland/Northern NSW canal estates, but much quieter and perhaps a little less brash( but not much)
No comments:
Post a Comment