Norm and John

A voice called out to me from the main road as I picked up an empty stubby in J.A.C. Russell Park this morning. It was Norm Smith on his way to buy newspaper, as he does most mornings. I didn't hear what he said but, knowing Norm, it would have been something jocular or good natured. I waved and continued walking, calling out "G'day Norm, looks like it'll be a beautiful warm day."

I did my loop through the pub car park, where I picked up four empty beer cans, and was crushing the cans with my heel on the pavement in Red Rd. when a voice called, "That's a big noise you're making." It was Norm on his way back home, by now in company with John, another regular morning walker to the newsagency/post office. I crossed the road to join them.

I first got to know Norm in the early 1980's not long after Lib and I came to Gembrook. He was a regular in Col Turner's butcher shop (now 'Rubee Rose' hair dressing salon) on a Sunday morning, when Col would clean his shop and prepare for the week ahead, then have a couple of beers with whoever had turned up. Col didn't mind serving the odd customer (meat) on Sunday, and somehow beer on the morning of the Sabbath tastes extra good.

"You told me once Norm that you started work at U.S. Bus Lines in 1949, in the depot at Belgrave before you turned 15, but I can't remember what happened after that. Did you work for them all your working life as I know you drove a U.S. bus when we moved to Gembrook, before you retired."

"Yes I finished in 1996, I worked for U.S. all my working life, 47 and a half years, starting as a grease monkey. After I came back from National Service in the early fifties they moved me to the depot in the Gully. One of the drivers often didn't turn up, and by then I had a car licence, so they'd send me out with the bus so as to not upset the schedule, then because I didn't have a bus driving ticket, one of the other relief drivers would meet me along the way and take over the bus."

"That's a good effort Norm, living in the same town all your life and working for the same company."

"Yeah, my memory goes back to the thirties, somebody interviewed me a while ago for the fire brigade's website. I was about five years old when the '39 fires came. We lived in Launching Place Rd., on the high side. There was only nine houses along there then, six on the top side and three on the other. A spark started a fire somewhere down Le Souef Rd. and it took off in the grass and burned right round our house and left it standing. Mum sent someone up the pub and dad and a few blokes came and sat under the house with wet hession bags to put out embers that blew in."

I haven't known John for long, in fact I don't know his surname, but we always say hello and have a bit of a chat. He's amiable and articulate. I asked him how long he'd lived in Gembrook.

"Since 2006, when I retired. Before that we lived in Bayswater, for no particular reason except that you have to live somewhere, and it needs to be somewhere near work or transport. Like Norm I worked at the same place all my working life, 45 years at the The Herald Sun. We always liked Gembrook. We came up here a lot when we lived in Bayswater, often on weekends we'd go for a drive and have a barbecue or a picnic, at Kurth Kiln or out near the big dipper on Launching Place Rd."

"You must have started work in 1961. What did you do?"

"I started as an apprentice graphic reproducer at 15. That's to do with setting plates for newsprint. Over the years I did about 13 different jobs and ended up a manager. My last job was managing the new West Gate plant.

"So where'd you grow up if you don't mind me asking?"

"Elwood, then Heathmont by the time I started work. We had a good double brick house in Elwood but not much money. We couldn't afford a TV or many of the new things that were available, so mum worked out we could move to Heathmont into a weatherboard house and have money left over to buy some things. Funny when you look at it now, the Elwood property would be worth a $million plus, four times the value of the Heathmont house, and mum wasn't happy at Heathmont anyway."

"How'd the Herald Sun job come about?"

"I used to do a paper round. At 15 I was too old for that almost, but I was having trouble getting a job. I'd left Ferntree Gully tech in acrimonious circumstance and with poor school history, I admit I had a problem with authority, employers wouldn't look at me. The newsagent said I was the best paper boy he'd ever had and he'd put in a word for me at the paper where he had a good friend. They gave me a trial and after some time put me on. Over the years there were many changes and new technologies and after my youthful dislike of authority, I ended up in a position of authority. It's funny how things work."

I had no idea when I started walking this morning I'd be hearing stories like Norm's and John's. That's the great thing about life, and walking and talking. It's what makes Gembrook such a good community, and I hope it never loses it. I suppose it's up to us.

P.S. I was intending to write about something else today but wanted to record the above while it was fresh in my mind. (Last weekend I went out to Gay Fialla's and swapped honey for fresh eggs. I'd met her in the town during the week and she told me she had new chickens and to come out and get some eggs. We had a chat about her family's origins in Australia and Gembrook so that 'll be next. I'm behind with my blogging but I've never known January to be so full on work wise. And I have bee work to do, and wood splitting, so it dries out for winter. When I'm about to flag a big voice in my head says, "PERSIST".)