I know that you're all used to me bagging the crap out of Elizabeth, but in actual fact I’m rather proud of being from there.

Some famous people are from Elizabeth: Jimmy Barnes and Glenn Shorrock both grew up there.

On Good Friday my best friend Ben had a BBQ at his Gawler farm and driving through Elizabeth I decided to turn off Main North Road and visit my old street in Elizabeth Park.

I parked out the front of my childhood home which had changed dramatically with an extension above our humble three bedroom colonial-style house.

Flashes of yesteryear flooded through my head as I remembered the goings-on and how much fun I used to have with all the local kids.

Next door was my best mate Neville, an aboriginal boy. I remember his mum used to make the best cakes ever. Neville’s family were always the first to get anything new.

Back in 1974, they were the only family in the neighbourhood to have a colour TV. We used to crowd around outside his lounge room window to watch the occasional colour broadcasts (colour TV didn’t come in completely until 1975.)

At night I used to climb out of my bedroom window and sneak to Neville’s house and peer through the window to watch Number 96, the first Australian TV series to broadcast in colour.

Number 96 had a few firsts. There was the first nude scene that took place in a laundrette, there was the first homosexual kiss and we would often see Abigail’s breasts as well as the poor character Vera Collins who got pack-raped by bikers.

My dear friend Carlotta shot to stardom on Number 96 with her character Robyn Ross when she dated Arnold Feather, the shop assistant.

If only I’d known then that I would actually meet her a few years later and have her move in with me some 10 years after that!

Neville and I both got jobs after school packing bags at Coles and if we didn’t have any money for the bus fare home after work and didn’t want to walk, we would jump start a car we'd find out the front of the railway station.

Our only thought was ‘Oh My God, what if we get caught and we're not old enough to drive yet?’ It didn’t even dawn on us that we'd actually borrowed the car without permission (and we'd always return the car the next day when we went to school.)

But I suppose that’s kids for you.

I still have contact with my mate Neville. He did Elizabeth proud. He’s now a judge in country NSW and his mum still makes the best cakes ever.

Hugs,

Vonni

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