I changed my childhood fads as often as the tide changed.
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Growing up in the 70s was a fantastic decade and l wouldn't change it for any other generation.
l enjoy looking back at my childhood memories and we had so much fun as kids there was never the big rush to grow up. Whenever l bring up a childhood memory with my aunties and uncles they love reminiscing about their days when they were kids.
I have to admit, l do love hearing their stories as much as talking about my own. The other good thing reminiscing is the visions of loved ones passed and the beautiful memories we have of them, wishing they were all still here.
Growing up I never had my head buried down in any device but l did have my head buried in Plasticine sculpturing characters.
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If l wasn't racing home after jumping off the school bus to play with my Plasticine board, l was racing home of an afternoon to watch Skippy, The Bush Kangaroo.
Although both my brother and l having a little crush on Clancy Merrick (AKA actress Liza Goddard). My brother Steven would patiently sit through Skippy, to then take his turn of the black and white television to watch his show - Astro Boy.
It was a time when kids played outside with neighbours and friends. We would ride the streets on our bikes and, by the late 70s, one by one my friends would upgrade to the latest craze BMX bikes.
It was an exciting day when l got my own second hand, yellow and orange BMX bike. It was at the same time CHiPs TV series.
My friend from down the road, Peter Coleman, and I would imitate the two highway patrol motorcycle cops, patrolling up and down Towradgi Road.
With mounted electronic bike horns on our BMXs sounding the siren pulling up neighbours walking back from the corner store giving out tickets to anyone littering and not walking on the correct side of the footpath or a ticket for some drummed up offence.
I had great neighbours who tolerated all of my kid fads and over-the-top antics growing up. With a ticket in hand, they would still kindly remark: "It's nice knowing our streets are safer with us kid bike cops patrolling".
Another phase l went through growing up with my BMX bike was Daredevil Dorin. I was the Dale Buggins of Towradgi.
For those unfamiliar ... Dale Buggins (AKA Daredevil Dale) was an Australian stunt motorcyclist who had built a national and international reputation by the age of 20. Buggins broke a world record held by USA stuntman Evel Knievel.
I painted an old motorcycle helmet my brother had with stars all over it, l found a pair of white overalls and painted stars and stripes and my aunty found material to make me a fancy cape.
I needed to emulate my hero, so l decided to letterboxed the neighbourhood with flyers to come and watch the spectacular Dare Devil Dorin, in my own back yard jumping over a lawn mower and wheel barrow.
After days building the ramp, on the big day I can remember l had an audience of about six - two friends, my mum and three loyal neighbours. The jump was successful but l never went on to bigger and better jumps.
Graduating from primary school at St John Vianney's and starting high school at St Paul's Bellambi, we started playing with the older kids in the neighbourhood.
Neil Pfister, a neighbour two doors down, had a truck tyre tube that we would roll down the road to Towradgi sand dunes.
As a young kid the dunes were like tall mountains and we would take turns rolling the tube up to the top of the sand dune, hop in the middle of it and roll all the way down to shoreline into the water.
Whether it was exploring the rock pools around the Black Rocks, mucking around in a inflatable dinghy in Towradgi pool or rolling down sand dunes, we had some of the bests memories and a great source of fun at the beach.
Sometimes we would be down at the beach every day. I saw up close my very first blue-ringed octopus, it was such a tiny harmless looking little creature until we saw the bright blue rings that put the fear in us. We didn't go anywhere near that part of the rocks for months after that.
Back in those days, people would catch good-size crabs and sea life was everywhere, much more than there is today. I've spent many days down at Towradgi pool with my son exploring around the ocean black rocks and l am always telling him my stories how it was back when l was his age bare foot and climbing over rocks.
