I REMEMBER

I remember it well, it was a beautiful September morning in 1946 when my parents, together with my six siblings, were going to the coast for a picnic while I had to stay behind and work.

A young lad of sixteen years I had an experience which most people only have once in a lifetime, and then do not look forward to the experience, even though they do not know about it.

My father was employed by the local Shire Council who provided employees and their family to a picnic day at the beach on the first Saturday in September each year. I am the second eldest of a family of seven children but I was unable to accompany the family on the bus as I was required to work until 1 pm that day.

After completing school in the rural township of Gloucester, New South Wales, I commenced work as a Junior Postal Officer in the local Post Office. My duties called for a four hour shift on the Saturday.

I had been talking with one of the local ministers of religion who commented that he was having to drive over to the beach that day after a funeral service and that he would pick me up in front of the Post Office at 1 pm.

Work that day seemed to drag on but finally at 1pm I was waiting outside for the minister, who arrived right on time, but to my dismay was in a hearse together with the undertaker and the undertaker's assistant.

With a brief "are you ready" I was crushed into the cabin with the other three persons and away we went, until 5 kilometres outside of the township the vehicle was brought to a stop and I was told "there is not enough room here for all of us, would you please get into the back". With little choice and reluctance I crawled inside and laid full length in the back of the hearse, we then continued on our way with me asking to be let out of the back well before we reached our destination.

The distance to be covered was 125 kilometres with numerous small rural villages to go through. It was rather comical to me as we went through some of the villages to see men stop and place a hand across their chest, as they did in those days, in respect for the dead, but then I wondered what they must have thought when I waved back at them?

The trip was not particularly uncomfortable, I had plenty of air and a 360 degree vision but the thought of being in the working part of the hearse did not set real well.

When we finally arrived at our destination instead of stopping to let me out the driver drove right out onto the beach and here I was left to scramble out of the hearse in a very embarrassed situation.