Stepping Out
based on Stepping Out Exercise

Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat, this is the sound of my tap shoes in my dance class. When I begun at the age of four, the tap plates would scratch and scrape, just like fingers going down a blackboard. The noise was unbearble, not to me as a tapper but my parents with the constant practice at home.

All I wanted to be like was the big girls, all clear beats, pure and perfect. I wished that this could happen. After a year I could combined basic steps together, but not to my satisfaction. At the time Mrs Palmer told me, "it would happen and to be more patient," but of course at the time I didn't believe her. When I did achieve a challeneging step like wings or pick-ups, I would be so proud of myself. Everybody knew about it too because I had a big cheezy grin from one ear to the other.

Over the thirteen years I have been dancing my tap shoes have become my best friend. They were always their to help me especially improve my tapping skills. I have undertaken several exams and passed with high distinctions due to my great ability to tap. To this day I still tap and have worn and outgrown my several tapshoes. Their is no other better shoe than a "Tap Shoe"

My Pa

Born in Ouyen Victoria on 8th of January 1922. He was the eldest of three sons of Ernest and Emily Lynch. Apart from one year at Reservoir in 1934 school days were spent at Patchewollock state School.

After leaving school he was share farming with his father on the family wheat farm at Patchewollock, except for short times working at the local general store during slack times on the farm. He was patrol leader of the local scout troupe, and attended the Jamboree in Adelaide in 1936.

He joined the air force in 1942 and became an aircraft electrician on flying boats with 43 squadron for four years.

He asked his mother to buy an engagement ring for his future wife Elva Wright on 12th of July 1943, while he was stationed at Karumba in the Gulf of Carpentaria. They were married at Patchewollock on the 20th of March 1946 after his discharge from the air force.

He joined the Freemasonry in 1946 and while in the country he travelled up to 160km to four different orders. After shifting to Reservoir he became a foundation member of the Reservoir Lodge.

Ern and Elva started married life managing a general store and several agencies at Speed, Victoria. They had a lot of fun on their Indian twin 1000 cc motor bike some times with two pillion passengers, there were some complaints from Elva that he had a lovely springy seat while she had a hard seat, which felt all the bumps. After 12 months they bought the business and stayed in Speed till the 30th of June 1950.

First daughter Dianne was born in Ouyen July 1949.

They moved to Melbourne July of 1950 and moved into their home in Reservoir a week before Christmas 1950.

He started work with the engineering branch of the Post Office in August 1950, later to become Telecom and then Telstra. He spent six years on subscriber installation in the city and he did an adult technicians course for two years passing the senior technician exam. He was an original staff member at the Batman Telephone Exchange using the new type of switching equipment and spent some time in charge of PABX maintenance. Then he was in charge of five different telephone exchanges finishing his career in charge of Preston Exchange where through ill health he retired in 1977.

Ern spent twenty-one years as secretary treasure at the Reservoir branch of the Australian Natives Association, retiring on the 30th of June 1993.

Ern played tennis and was secretary for a time of the Reservoir A.N.A. tennis club and spent a few years umpiring state and national tournaments with the Victorian Tennis Umpires Association and umpired the Davis Cup in 1961.

He was a foundation member of the Reservoir Bowling Club and accumulated the club pairs, triple and fours championships and runner up president's handicap (100 up). Runner up in Metropolitan "B" grade fours, runner up metropolitan reserve grade singles championship, and member of the winning rink of the 1971 Moomba electric light fours tournament. He was a certified national bowls umpire for over thirty years.

Daughters Carolyn and Sheryl and son Neville were born at Reservoir and he was always thankful and proud of them through their trouble free growing years and proud of the adults they became. He knew that Elva, a real family mum had an enormous influence on their upbringing. Being on shift work, time spent away in the country and working four different shifts around the clock seven days a week put a lot of extra strain on Elva with four children to care for. From being a proud dad he became a very proud grandfather of six granddaughters, one grandson, three great grandsons and one great granddaughter.

He was actively engaged in Neighbourhood Watch from its inception holding many executive positions including producing the monthly newsletter. He received the "Good Neighbour" award from the City Of Darebin in 1998.

This was my Pa's description of his life through his eyes. It was a shock to us all when he passed away; I felt a hole in my heart. Seventeen years of memories filled my heart and made me sad to think he wouldn't be around anymore. Pa and I spent a lot of time together particularly when I was growing through primary school. I used to spend every weekend there.

My Pa was the most knowledgeable man. He had books on everything and was quite a perfectionist. When I was in grade five and six we were given homework sheets. Pa would always help me out. I never feared of leaving a blank because Pa always knew, if he didn't he would go away and come back with the answer for me.

My Gran and Pa took me on my first train ride. When I was about ten years of age I was taken to Frankston. I'd never been on a train so they decided to take me on a day trip. We caught the train from Reservoir into Flinders Street. I was fascinated by the fact Pa knew every station name and was able to tell me before we got there. From Flinders Street we caught the Frankston line. Once arriving in Frankston we had lunch and did some shopping.

My Pa used to have a stash of lollies in his bedroom he kept especially for his grandchildren. Whenever we went to visit into his room we would go to get some lollies, the statement about grandparents spoiling grandchildren is certainly true or at least my Pa did.

Whenever I stayed over we would go to McDonald's either for breakfast or dinner. Sometimes I think I was an excuse just so he could go. In his organiser he had the price list and kept it updated on a regular basis.

My Gran is renowned for having back problems and unable to do the normal house duties so there was my Pa cleaning, cooking, washing, ironing and helping out wherever possible. My Pa was ever so willing he would go out of his way for anyone.

My Pa was very dedicated. He belonged to Reservoir Bowling Club. He wasn't impressed when my cousin Kylie and sister Rochelle got married on a Saturday in bowls season. It meant he had to miss a round. He would joke that he would go and play bowls and just come to the reception after bowls. We knew he was joking but it wouldn't be a surprise if he did it on the day.

Once every two weeks it would be guaranteed that he would have a meeting whether it was for Neighbourhood Watch, Lodge or Bowls. He was always on his computer trying out the latest program. He was able to con my Gran into getting the Internet for email while my parents went over seas.

On a Saturday night Gran and I would kick Pa off to bed because we would sit in the lounge room watching the trots and in between the races we would play Yahtzee or Uno. Sometimes Pa would play with us. Never would you try and cheat or argue about the rules because out would come the instructions.

Going by my Pa's birth certificate he was eighty years old. For some coincident his father registered him on the 7th not 8th so technically he made it to his eightieth. I still believe he got his OBE award, over bloody eighty. My Pa and his friends use to muck around how he was going to make it and he was so proud of it too, simply for the fact he had lived that long.

My Pa was not old according to him. Every time a decade had passed and we would celebrate his birthday in his speech he would say "In another ten years I'll be old," once that ten years has passed he would say, "In another ten years I'll be old."

On the 20th of December 2001 my Pa appeared in the North West Express paper showing the unveiling of the plaque. The plaque was to mark ninety years of farming in the Mallee for the Lynch family. My Pa was and is still holds the title for the oldest living male Lynch.

I'm very proud of all the things my Pa has taught me. I miss him dearly but am thankful of all the memories I have of him.

Doors
This writing came from the Personality of a Front Door exercise

I would best describe my life as a sliding fly srceen back door. People come and go as they please. New people don't stick around long enough to get to know me. They find out that I suffer depression and off they go flying off in the other direction or, worse, they start to treat me differently.

Then I have school, their is this one particular girl who uses me. She thinks, I beleive, that she is my best friend, but I know that she isn't. She only desires to know me when her friends are way, she has nobody to sit with in class or has forgotten her text book. She comes and goes through my door and uses the fly screen as a sieve.

People no sooner get into my life and then they run back through the door in the other direcion. It's really weird, no one comes through my door and hangs around for a long time. Sometimes I wonder whether it is me or not.

I say to people who I get really close to and know who the real me is that within six months you will have found someone better to do stuff with. And every time not even six months is needed. I believe people don't like me needing my own space and time to sort through problems. If I didn't have that time I wouldn't be imporving. I need poeple for support but no one my age is willing to give me that.

People continually abuse me and have no care of how they affect me.For some reason they seem not to care about my feeling. Sometimes I feel like screaming through my door "I am human!"