I can’t write the Reflections post without telling you what happened next.
I first met Will seven months after his return to Australia. He was not teaching in a one teacher school in Western Division but to his mind the Education Department was still run by despotic, authoritarian and twisted minds as he had been appointed to his hometown of Wollongong. He was living with his parents while he saved some money for his own place. If you want to find out more about Will (from a different point of view) you could check out my 2018 A to Z Living in the ‘70s.
Meanwhile Phil could not believe it when he was again posted to a remote small school. The only light on the horizon was Beth, who was flying to Australia to join him at Christmas. I met them several times before they returned to England.
As you will know if you read this blog, Keith married “Miss Port Albernie”. A couple of years later they arrived in Sydney, but the pull of home and family was too strong and they relocated to Vancouver.
Now the “Green Seals” have all turned 80 and can’t believe where the years went. Will and Phil became School Principals, while Keith left teaching and became a Town Planner. They (and their wives) all now reside in Sydney and Wollongong, Australia.
Will begged me to write about the demise of the “Fairsea”. That is a story that needs a whole post. Maybe in the 2026 A to Z?
Now for Reflections.
- Did you finish the challenge? Yes, before it started but still needed to do a lot of editing during the month of April.
- What was your favourite post to write? I liked writing the early ones (A,B,C,D) on the ship and arriving in London. I also liked the last one Z for Zigzagging back to Australia.
- What was your favourite comment posted by another A-Z participant on your blog this April? Again, Josna wrote the most detailed and elaborate comments as she genuinely seemed to relate to much of the content.
Feeling quite sad as this adventure is drawing to an end. So many points of connection for me! To go out rambling over Hampstead Heath and to use their public swimming ponds was a such a gift for my mother and her brothers in their youth, as working-class kids. Love the film and the song “To Sir With Love;” before I was born my mother was briefly a supply teacher in London’s East End. I loved the photo of all the children about to take the barge on Regent’s Canal to the Zoo. I remember The Scaffold’s” Lily the Pink” was a hit while I was in London in 1969, and my mother saw Paul McCartney crossing the street in front of her bus as it went through St. John’s Wood. What a great reference? I hope they appreciated him at his next job in NSW. One of my old schoolmates taught, then became a school principal, and then headed up the education department in NSW. I wonder if they know each other? Really admire the fact that “Will” arranged a working holiday and not only supported himself but did useful work while having a whale of a time.
- Did you feel supported by the A-Z team? (The Team: Arlee Bird, J Lenni Dorner, Zalka Csenge Virág, John Holton, Jayden R Vincente, and Ronel Janse van Vuuren.) They are legends the way they work behind the scenes to make the A to Z possible. It is one of the highlights of my year and I would be sad if it didn’t happen. Some also visited and commented on my blog.
- Did you like the graphics for this year? I love the colours and designs. They really livened up my posts.
- Did you like the A-Z blog’s theme? Being grateful for our blogging community does not directly relate to what I wrote but Will and Phil’s list of What is Happiness comes close.
- Did you have a theme on your blog? If so, how did you come up with it? When I met Will he regaled me with the stories you have read in this A to Z. For years I felt they should be recorded for future generations so here they are.
- Did you learn anything new because of the A-Z Challenge? I learnt that dictating aerograms into Word was much easier than transcribing them.
- Will you consider doing the challenge again next year? I’m tossing around a few thoughts. Doing A to Z’s in my head helps me fall asleep at night.
These are the links to each post in this year’s A to Z
The Swinging Sixties Theme Reveal.
B for Bargaining in Singapore.
E for England Swings Like a Pendulum Do.
F for Finding Work Moving Furniture.
G for Getting Older (turning 22).
H for Hammering Across the Thames.
K for Knocking on the Kremlin’s Door.
L for Living Life in London and Abroad.
P for Postcards from Venice and Other Places.
Q for the Question “Is it true?”
Z for Zigzagging back to Australia.
I tried to follow more new blogs this year but many of these are old favourites.
Tales From My Japanese Travels
The Earl Grey Irish Orphan Challenge
Airports, Airstrips, Aircraft, and Airlines
Thank you to all those who read and commented on my topic “The Swinging Sixties”. I tried to comment on as many blogs as I could. Sometimes the comments just vanished or appeared as Anonymous. I will aim to visit everyone I’ve missed on the Road Trip. Hope to see you all again in April 2026!
The Curry Apple Orchard 