THAT'S THE GIRL, THE BLOKE IS ORDINARY, SHE IS THE BEST PERSON IN MY LIFE. JUST LIKE ME, LIFE CAN BE ORDINARY, CUTIE IS'NT SHE? Nobody will know I have moved this page up a few slots, only me and you. THE VERY IMPORTANT STORY OF SHIRLEY AND THE BOYS. What an anti- climax!, our story should have commenced my journey through life. This story will never end, the many kids from our extended families and being together will see to that. All that aside and never forgetting the good is fleeting and the not so good is inevitable, I have mentioned never give up hope, ‘cause money can't buy it you make the best of your lot'. Shirley and I had some great loving times, we were young and ready for the life ahead of us. She came into my life when things were good, we both had jobs, we, well she, was still good looking, and we were looking for a partner. We met at Avalon, we lived at Avalon, we worked at Avalon. We had a short life together, I wish we could be together still. THE AVALON  'STOMP', AKA 'LOVE DANCE' I have held off writing this portion of my life because it is full of personal reflections and things personal, at this point may I relate the good times we had, can I tell you how we adopted extended families, and ‘girls' how the families are extending as we speak. We met at the Avalon "STOMP DANCE", and that was that from the start. I would meet Rowie, Dawnie, Betty, Peter and Lindsey and their father Alan, the family had moved from Young in NSW. Our romance commenced and the ritual of ‘Courting' was fraught with many problems. As a boy without a car things were difficult in relation to seeing my girl on a regular occasion. Rowena and Dawn and Shirley lived at Mona Vale, Betty and Kerry lived up the road, they would produce Mark our first Nephew. I was living at Newport and walked everywhere. Shirley fell for my trap very early, we married in 1962 and moved to Newport, we had another place in Newport before moving to Avalon. A dear lady we met suggested if we renovate her downstairs flat we could have cheap rent. WE painted and prepared our nest, we laid lino and made it comfortable. Shirley worked locally and I was between the RSL club and the milk run. Our social life was minimum, we have what you would call a happy time. We had several trips to Bega and this is another story. But wait, the ‘Wedding", we were married at Mona Vale, we progressed to my place at Newport for the Wedding Breakfast, at 5pm is it still called breakfast. I was still working at the Avalon RSL, they provided the food at cost and I worked until 15 mins before arriving to the Church preparing the feast. My Bride arrives on time, plus 20 mins, that's normal. Shirley looked resplendent in white, she is so preety, my Surf Club mates and Shirley's family were there. The best man was there, how did I chose Phil Kemp? I know, he was Rowies boy friend and milkman. Shirley gave her consent and I am over the moon. Back to Newport and a few drinks and some food. My best man has planted the Mini Minor and the traveling bags, we bid our farewells and ‘Kempy' drives the car to the front door, ready for our departure, and off for our Honeymoon. First stop Wollongong, next day Nowra and finally the Marlin Hotel at Ulladulah, and the spellchecker has gone mad. We can't tell you the personal details, I can't even relate them in the ‘Naughty Page'. Shirley and I laugh to this day, we ate heaps of chocolates and enjoyed each others company. We had a great stay at the MARLIN, the staff were God all mighty friendly, lots of smirks' and smiles. The next morning we bade our farewells, waved our farewells, and made our farewells. That low life Phil, I forgot, I trusted you and you filled our suit cases with confetti. I guess we made it to the ‘Gong' when I noticed the room key in the little glove box, "Shirls, you pay the bill?' a silence, "didn't you?", a perplexing moment occurs and suddenly vanishes, we will pay for our accommodation when we get home. We lived at Central Road Avalon for a short time and moved to Mona Vale, Shirley is pregnant, we are about to have our first child. All people except mothers look away. WE had been to Bega to see Grandma Snowdon, she was living in town , we had a lovely time, I went fishing and we re-visited MOON BAY, we had a swim in the river and took Grace for drives. We sung songs around the Pianola and listened to Grace's stories. I am 23, we first met when I was 10. Shirley fell pregnant, and only mothers now that. She beat me at dominos, our first domestic. The bloke you see on the home page, you thought it was me, is David, he was born at Mona Vale Hospital. We moved back to Avalon and rented a house, we attempt to raise David, he has a noxious odor in his duds, he is the best thing in our lives. Along comes Michael, my Little Buddy Michael, now we have two best things in our lives. I have begun to travel with my company. The sisters are very close and form a closer bond than usual, we are all living close by and babies are popping out all over, today we have; Betty times 3, Rowie times 3, Dawnie times 3, Peter times 2, Lindsey times 3, and oh, the Mothers and the Fathers of the Clarkson Family. I am talking in to-days terms when love for all off the ‘tackers' is unequivocal, touch my niece or nephew, or my son and you will answer. We take David and Michael, hang on, we take David to Bega first because he was conceived there, and then both the boys  to Bega, Michael was, sorry Michael, conceived at Avalon you are truly an Avalon Boy. You are very little, you boys, Shirley is a great mother and our mate, how did we manage without her. Remember the Bega River and the ‘Gold', we remember. Remember the days at Avalon, we remember. Life is a shitter, why are we separated from happy things. My partner and friend part company, we keep in contact and her parting words echo to this day; "you look after those boys". Had a bit of a problem with the now deceased ‘Frank', new name Little Buddy Michael. He was 5lb 3ounces dripping wet, Shirley gave him to the world on the 2nd, April, 1968 nearly in front of my eyes, I fainted just as his little body came into view. He is a big boy now. What about the trials and tribulations of rearing children, the things we do to make their little lives comfortable, the devious stuff, the moments where we take them for drive to bring them to ‘submission', we used to comfort them when they were ill, offer ‘bribes' of promises and bloody lollies. We loved them then and we love them now. Shirley is a caring mother, she will never ever leave me. My love for Shirley has never died. Shirley will never be replaced in my life. She lives today. I see her face at Tathra, I see her smile. You gave us our destiny. Shirley, I wish you could give me your story. The boys and I moved north in 1974.   Shirley was a Queen and she WAS a queen, she was the Cherry Festival Queen of Young of her home town, I will dig out some photo's. We made a few trips back to Young, mainly to catch up with old friends and a wedding, we had happy days, except for the day the bee's invaded our little Mini. I suppose we were approaching the township when up ahead what seemed to be cloud was hovering over the road, we drove into the cloud and suddenly the windscreen is covered in a sticky mess, the side windows are down and the cabin is invaded by dozens of bent and not so bent angry bees. We come a frantic halt, beating at these invaders, incredibly we suffer no stings, so we get all of the bees from the cabin, wash the windscreen with water and realize what has happened. If there is a cloud on the horizon, and life can be like that, wind up your windows. Shirley let me teach her to drive, many domestics and strained friendships are caused by this innocent maneuver. We were driving to Bega to see Grace, Shirley had her learners and she felt comfortable driving when there was not so much traffic. Don't quite remember where it was, but she is behind the wheel and behind a slow semi, we are suddenly being tail gated by another semi and the object is to pull over and let the trucks get ahead. Well this is easier said than done, to see where to pull in of the road was hampered by the truck in front, the truck was behind was nearly in the boot and any quick tactic will spell disaster, it seems for ever until a passing lane allows her to let the trucks clear to buggery ahead, Shirley decides she has had enough. I have described the Bega Valley in previous pages, it has many memories of the years myself and then Shirley and I, and then Shirley and I and the boys visited this wonderfull area. It may have been the time of the above run in with the trucks. Our roof rack had a recommended load 35 lbs, the tent weighed 60lb, instructions, what instructions? David wasn't far away, but only a mother will know that. We had packed our little car to the rafters, the intention was to spend a couple of days camping at Tathra and return to Grace's house for a while. Called briefly into Bega and drove to Tathra Beach camping area, the days were sunny, time of year was winterish. This would be our undoing. We had bought a canvas tent and poles and camp stretchers, we had a gas cooker and all the cooking stuff, and so we set up our little site, probably had a counter lunch up at the Tathra Pub and would have certainly visited the Sea Wharf. We went to the Bega River entrance, this was before the Bridge Mark #1, we, well I went fishing while Shirley spread the towel and sun baked herself. Got some photos somewhere of the 4 or so sea bream I caught, they were to be for our tea. The afternoon was drawing to a close and we decided that ‘Moon Bay" can wait for tomorrow, so we returned to the camp site and prepared to have our fish, what a meal. Now we were aware that it was going to be cold night, we had brought some blankets and sheets, but we were not prepared for bitterly cold night ahead. Camp stretchers are not well insulated, they can only sleep one person, so out the door go's cuddling, Shirley woke up freezing, she put on all the clothes she could, still to no avail, she was cold as a frog, and I'am not much better. The best we could do for her was to lay newspaper and towels on the stretcher to give her some insulation from the rising cold. Our night was miserable, a hot shower early and with a phone call to Grace we canned staying at the camping site another night. We put off packing until we returned from that beautiful place just up the road, it's secret. (http://www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/About/myplace/myplace.htm). It was providence, Grace had the spare room ready, big dooner, fireplace, it was providence, but only a mother will know that. WE had a great time just being in Grace's company, went driving and shopping and eating home made scones with jam and Bega Cream, we didn't pitch the tent again on this trip, we returned about 15 months later with a 3rd person, his name was David and he was 6 months old, Shirly the proud mother, anybody good at math's?, but only a mother will know that. And we pitched the tent again. Incidentally, a description of ‘Moon Bay' will be the in the above Web address soon. I will make this comment one more time; refer to unabridged page, BORN IN THE BUSH 2, PLEASE EXCUSE THE SPOKEN WORD, or if you want to see the edited version, a very good version its is, thanks LINDA ALBERTSON, BEGA VALLEY SHIRE COUNCIL LIBARIAN, YOUR PATIENCE WITH MY GRAMMER IS, WELL, PATIENT. Be back soon to update SHIRLEY AND THE BOYS. 11/11/2007 3:49 PM; A very special day has almost elapsed. In the free world on this day we take leave to remember the fallen, the Soldiers, the people, and strangely the horrors of war. Today is not a celebration of victory or defeat, it is a combination of sorrow and disbelief. Why so many brave soldiers and innocent citizens gave there lives only the Aristocrats will ever know. We will all give up this existence at some time, the time is not written. Our soldiers and Sailors and Seaman knew their tenure on life was limited, ‘Remembrance Day' offers up a brief time to give our thoughts, our thanks for their ultimate sacrifice. Do I need to remind you guys of my comments; I am just a simple person, an ordinary bloke. But still I plough on with my very ordinary story. The above comments make us all humble. Mainly, SHIRLEY AND THE BOYS commenced as a brief  recount of our time together. Only memory has robbed me of the many good times we enjoyed, only time has softened the blows, memory has not diminished her presence in my life. I am reminded of her presence when David and Michael and I meet, I see her face in their face only parents see that. I envy the people who have long and lasting times together, I am bitterly saddened when a partner leaves the other and yet for most of us we are not prepared for separation, we would / should have an inbuilt ‘Software' to carry us into "our time", the inevitable demise of our body and the commencement of another life form. Now this life form could be a rock, or a knitting needle, a combination of cells that produce SOMETHING. My theory on our Shirley's Life will be she has not left us, she is here, she is the SOMETHING, she is my BOYS and she is not demised and ‘us' are the result of her body. We never had the opportunity to travel overseas, but that's no problem, we had many travels to places we felt comfortable in; Bega, Ulladullah, Mona Vale, Young, Blue Mountains, Avalon. Not impressed, what about Moon Bay, Avalon, Shirley had a sense; a need to relate to something we could see was a happy place. I will bet you that Shirley knew when to, OK, have a baby, Michael and David were given life when she was ready and only a mother knows that. Shirley's body died too early, baby, your always there.