I remember . . .

I remember being at Elouera or Wanda with Vicki and Lindy's grandpa, Mr Evans, and him teaching us to swim in the surf. He taught us how to swim out of a rip, sideways, doing breast stroke.

I remember going down in the late afternoon with Dad in the Valiant, parking up on top of the cliffs and going down into the sea. Dad taught me to look out, to the sea, to watch the waves coming, to stand and then start swimming, to be caught up by the pull backwards, the slight pull, then swim forwards, becoming a part of the roll, the onwards force.

I remember as a very small child standing on the rocks beside one of the pools, maybe at Shelley Beach, being offered some sort of sea things, abalone or sea urchins by a man, maybe Greek or Italian. My father disappointed that I didn't take any, he wanted to know what those things were like.