At his 50th birthday some years back his mother told Debra.. "These two met at 3 and a half years of age and were inseparable."
Stephen and I were mad on Roy Rogers, the Army, Hercules aeroplanes, toy soldiers (hundreds of them) running amok in Kalinga Park and on it went. Family picnics with the Hart family where they made me very welcome. Stephen's dad John was a WW2 veteran and had seen some dreadful things. But he was cheerful. And always made me feel welcome. (He even managed to get me out from being stuck under a swing at Mt Glorious as a 7 year old) The first time I heard Que Sera Sera was Stephen's mother Jean singing it in the kitchen as she baked wonderful chocolate slices.
It was a time of innocence as two young boys explored the Clayfield area and had great adventures. By the time we were both 6 his parents had shifted to Junction Road at Clayfield and as we had a TV set (only 3 of us in grade 1 had a TV) every Sunday night Stephen and his older sister Meg would come over to watch Disneyland.
Then around the time I turned 9, the Hart family moved to the Blue Mountains in NSW. Two young boys were heart broken.
We managed to stay in touch over the years with catch ups in Brisbane and Sydney....and then back in 1994 Stephen moved back to Brisbane.
We reconnected.
Stephen is an artist, an amazingly talented sculptor.
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| Another Hart Creation |
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| One of Stephen's many men. |
So after months and probably years of threatening to do so.... today I went to his studio with a camera. I had grand designs of what I wanted to create.
However the other artist in the room likes to draw.
Sit down there mate and I will sketch you.
And so he did.
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| God it's hard to sit still |
But I did manage to get a couple of images of my former childhood friend in his creative space.
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| "Lift your right shoulder" |
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| You look more like a movie star each day old mate! |
60 plus years later.. we are still close.
And that became obvious today and we discussed everything from the meaning of life to the election outcome.
It is still an amazing life of discovery and adventure.
To have a shared childhood forges an amazing bond.
Rock on Stephen.
