A Time For Reflection....

Friends. I'm sure you've all got some. But have any of you REALLY got friends?

Or should I say have any of you got REAL friends?

Your probably wondering why I’m bringing this up. Well, all in good time. Something has happened that has forced old memories into my head.

How many of you have friends that you grew up with, spent every weekend with as a kid, and to this day, still have those people as your friend? Can you call your friend at any time of the day or night, and it’s ok to call? They don’t care that you’re calling because they’re your MATE.

I have some. Well, 2. Yes, I have heaps of friends, some very close friends, but when I strip down my life to the bare stuff, 2 stand out.

Growing up in a town of 1000 people wasn’t easy. It was damn hard. Not much to do, not many people to hang out with. You had to make do with what you got. That’s how we made it. Yeah at times I would have preferred it differently, but looking back on it now, nah, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I’m happy where I am in life. For a while I thought I was going nowhere, then something changed my life, and I have never looked back. Those that know me know what I am talking about, those that don’t, I apologise. So now that I’m doing good, I look back on my life and think what have I done, could I have done anything better.

The answer is no. If I’m happy now, then everything I have done beforehand has been the right thing. If I hadn’t of grown up with the bunch of guys I did, I wouldn’t be the person I am now. Those guys had just as much influence on me as my parents and family did. Even though a lot of that influence may have been in the wrong direction, it still has been apart of the mold that has made me who I am. Right or wrong, they are apart of me as long as i grace this world with my presence.

The reason I’m going on about all this nostalgia is because one of my friend's grandfathers passed away this morning. Charlie wasn’t just a grandfather to my mate. To me he was more of a father to him than his real father, and his future step father. No offence to his step father, but Charlie stood out hands down.

Charlie was a great guy. I have so many memories of the old days where Charlie’s in them.

I remember him taking me 1 & ½ hrs to Corowa whenever school holidays were on to stay at my mates place for a week or so, then picking me up. Christ his car was cold in winter. I don’t think Charlie knew what a heater was…..

I remember he barracked for Essendon, and we used to knick his bombers jacket late at night to sneak down to Eddie’s for a coke from the coke machine….

I remember getting into trouble for running all over the roof mucking around…..

I remember getting we got our asses flogged for throwing rocks at the Beer’s truck on the highway……

I remember his stash of People magazines that he used to leave in the loungeroom( I bet Judy didn't know about them?)…..
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I remember the time we broke a window and lied to the police about some stranger throwing a can (of dog food) at the window. They didn't believe us one bit, even though one of us ran screaming through the house with sauce on our face to look like blood.... that was f**king hilarious…..

I remember we used to check the ashtray in his car for change so we could buy a can of coke...

I remember the Pigs, the old chimney(GI Joe Territory), the bull with the red and green eyes, the yelling at us whenever we’d wake the dogs at night, I remember it all…..

My family know Charlie very well, hell, everyone in my home town knows him. Obviously it was his time, but sometimes you just wish some people could live forever, like my nan, my pop, and Kimba(more people from my past that I miss heaps)

So to cap this off, my condolences to Rebel, Judy, Vicky, Wayne, and all of his family. I wish I could be there, but cannot.

Rest In Peace Old Fella.....