Town Talk | Deb with a difference

I particularly enjoyed hearing from Kaye Weilandt because we attended school together, and she didn’t know my connection with Town Talk. (That makes it fun for me!)

Also, Kaye’s ‘debut’ was with ‘Debs with a Difference’, and she was in her 40s at the time. Kelvin McNeice was her 18-year-old partner.

It was the late ’80s, and Kaye had been taking old-time dance lessons with Ros Lynch Jones, who had organised the event at Eastbank in Shepparton. The debs wore coloured gowns, but everything else about the evening was traditional.

Due to her mother being short of cash at the time, she had missed out on debuting at the usual age. She had a wonderful time when it finally happened, and it remains a great memory. Dale Wright was the photographer.

Kaye and I had met a few times over the years, firstly because of her connection with Turaton Music Company. The next occasion was Grandparents’ Day at a kindergarten, but neither of us could remember which kinder or which grandchild — such is ageing!

I visited Kaye last week to collect her photos, and we talked about our school memories — so very distant now. She mentioned being at my home, and I’ve been thinking about that; it would either be a birthday party or our concert.

At some point, towards the end of primary school, some friends and I put on a concert in my parent’s garage to raise funds to buy Christmas presents for the children in the hospital. My memory of it is thin, but I think we raised 35 pounds, and we were all looking forward to going shopping for toys.

However, the matron at the hospital said they couldn’t accept the toys as they might have germs, and we should hand the money over, which we did. I quite took the fun out of it!

Anniversary week

It’s Town Talk’s third birthday this week, and I’ve been looking back. It’s a very nervous and shaky past.

When the boss suggested I write it, my mouth must have dropped open as I nodded dumbly. I was thinking, “What? Me? I’m not a writer! What will I find to write about — every week?” The ‘suggestion’ suddenly became a fact. He seemed to think I’d enjoy it.

Don’t you hate it when someone knows you better than you know yourself? To be fair, he is yet to say, “I told you so!”. However, I clearly remember the day I learned about putting words together.

I was in fourth grade, and a young ‘Mr Holden’ had taken over the class for a term. I’d always enjoyed school, but now every day was fascinating. Then he told us to write a short story about five children on a beach. I picked up my pen and stared at the page for what seemed like forever. I told myself I was no good at this; there wasn’t an idea in my head.

Then suddenly, I could almost ‘feel’ a story. I started to write and write. Everyone else had finished, but I was just getting started. The beach was rocky with not much sand. (Today, I’d say it was in Cornwall.) A sudden but severe storm blew up, and the children sheltered behind a large rock. Four of them sheltered behind a rock — but where was the fifth? The sky was very dark — and Mr Holden told me I had to finish up. I apologised.

I couldn’t write a short story.

You are justified in having a laugh here — because you’ll have noticed, I still can’t write a ‘short’ story!

2020 — a part of my first attempt at Town Talk. Lockdown.

For the past few months, I have been telling anyone who asked that I was “fine”. I had a husband and home to take care of. I had my work — and the Richmond boys were playing like the champions they are. “Of course, I’m fine.”

And then, one day, in the middle of a phone conversation, I started to cry. Not just teary-eyed, I was sobbing between apologies to the stranger on the other end of the line (who had just asked how I was and was trying to get me a better phone deal).

I realise now that the little miseries had been gathering. Little miseries like taking a birthday gift to a precious 13-year-old grandson and standing 2 metres apart with his parcel on the nature strip between us. He said, “I’m not afraid of getting it. I’m afraid of giving it, and I love you.”

Mumbling, “You too, darling”, I hopped into the car. Indeed, he had grown two centimetres since I’d seen him last and wasn’t his voice deeper? “I’m fine. Of course, I’m fine.” I wasn’t okay; I doubt that any of us were.

• We made sacrifices for the community, for the town, but did we save lives? According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there have been 789 COVID-19 deaths in Victoria this year to September — more than in 2020 or 2021. 2022 was the ‘bad year’ – 2976. Perhaps we did?

My grandson had grown two centimetres and several more since then. My head is on his chest when he hugs me. If there were a hugging competition, he’d be well up there. But, like his two brothers, he has been very carefully taught. His father always told them that there are two arms involved in a hug – ‘None of this one-arm nonsense.’

All of which reminds me of this grandson’s first trip to the MCG; he was going on four years of age. At that time, the MCG was considered a potential terrorist target, and there were security guards at all gates, patting people down – including little guys.

The security guard held his arms out to indicate what each person should do, and this little guy assumed the security guard needed a hug. So, he put his little arms around the guy’s thighs and gave him a two-arm hug. There was some laughter from the assembled crowd.

2021 — November

Cate Blanchett said recently that the young people completing their VCE exams were “national heroes”, and many of us would agree with her. With a hellish year now behind them but feeling as if the rest of their lives depend upon their ATAR, they wait. And, if some of these young people are attached to your family, you wait with them.

Perhaps it’s worth reminding them that, even if they are disappointed, there is still a path to what they want.

Recently, a young teacher was talking to me about the stress VCE students were carrying. He had spoken to a group of them, listed his qualifications and told them he was hoping to work on his doctorate soon. What did they think his ATAR was? They guessed 90 to 95. He laughed and said, “High 50s would be closer”. He told them that they owed it to themselves to do their very best — but if things didn’t quite work out, “please don’t waste energy blaming yourself or the virus; talk to someone who can help you follow your dream”. Sounds like good advice.

• The ‘young teacher’ was our eldest grandchild — but I didn’t know if he’d be happy about me mentioning that. It eventuated that he could not have cared less; he said it was good advice and that many people would need it that year. Anyway, several of you guessed who it was.

2022 — November

I must have been feeling more courageous because I tackled the Australia Day debate. However, as I’ve had another shot at that topic quite recently, I won’t include it here.

After I’d sent the copy to the office, I was suddenly not very brave at all. Had I offended anybody? Everybody? Perhaps you guessed that because there were a number of supportive responses from our readers. And, perhaps, as you were getting to know me, I was also getting to know you.

The same year, when I’d written about the Queen’s passing and was also pleading for people to give King Charles a fair go, I had a wonderful response from a Republican reader.

This is part of what Meg wrote:

I do lots of volunteer work in groups and committees full of people who are kind, dedicated, generous and friendly — but have very different views to myself on lots of things.

I see this as valuable to our work. What is a diverse community if we can’t agree to disagree and still be kind and friendly to each other? Politics is a messy game, as we saw last year.

But life goes on past elections, and we still have to live together peacefully here!

Meg, I pray that is still true. I hope we always accept the nation’s decision. But, following the ‘The Voice’ referendum, there appeared to be a fair amount of dummy-spitting.

While searching for that letter, I came across this from 12 months ago.

“Town Talk is your miracle, not mine.” Honestly, it seems just a few weeks since I wrote that; where did the year go? Anyway, it remains true today, and I thank you for your assistance and involvement. Catching up with many of you is fun for me.

Take care, please, and may it be easy, my friends.

Marnie

Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au

Letter: Town Talk. Shepparton News. P.O. Box 204. Shepparton 3631.

Phone: Send a text to 0418 962 507. (Note: text only. I will call you back if you wish.)