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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

The Parents.

My Parents – Probably the best way to describe them was “different” to the norm. They owned a Motorcycle shop, and instead of a teething ring, I’d gnaw on a front knobbie tyre. Both Mum & Dad raced bikes, and in the early 70’s Mum piloted one of the most “nastiest” pieces of motorcycle ever made. The much feared 750cc Kawasaki Mach III.

They raced 250’s, 500’s, 750’s and later 900’s. It wasn’t unusual for the family to turn up at a race meeting with anything up to 10 bikes on a tandem trailer. My brothers & I would have a selection of TM’s (Suzuki motor cross/ mini bikes) that we’d ride around the pits & surrounding area.

Here’s a classic example of my parents “slightly different” parenting style. One year, for Christmas all four boys were given air rifles. The ages were 5, 7, 9 & 14 years old. So, you don’t think that was not a recipe for disaster?

Another example of a wonderful parenting decision. We had land up at Dargo. My father decided that my youngest brother, at 6, was too young to have a .22 Rifle, (it was OK for the 8 & 10 yo, and a .22 magnum for a 15 yo), so restricted him to a compound crossbow.

So yeah, they were a little left of centre, and not exactly what you’d call “normal”. In their defense, with 4 boys, who would be “normal”?

They did their best, with the skill sets and past experiences they’d acquired along the way. I need to remind myself, every child reckons their parents did a shit job.

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