past and present

footy
Originally uploaded by angie cat

Today I visited Coolamon, the town I always refer to as the place where I grew up. I wasn't born here but moved here in when I was in Year Nine.
I say I grew up here because many of my milestone teenage events occurred here (first boyfriend, first friendship ring, first kiss). This place is special to me although I have rarely returned to it.

I decided yesterday that i was going to visit Coolamon because the football was on today. It's forty five years since I saw Aussie Rules for the first time at Kindra Park in Coolamon. So I thought a visit was fitting and would be good to do. I was right. Watching the game was easy to do, brought back memories and generated some thinking on my part. The Coolamon players looked so young. Then I did my sums and realised that most players were probably around the age of blokes I watched all those years ago, so I put that down to an age thing (smile).

The oddest thing. There was an old guy sitting near me at the game. I'd noticed him because he looked so weathered and down beaten. He walked past me when he went to get a pie, and someone called out his name and asked how he was. Kind of like this "Hey, Shorty, how's it going?". At the mention of his nickname, I knew instantly who he was although got quite a shock - handsome bloke in his mid 20s when I knew (of) him, now ageing man struggling to walk onto the footy field at half time (although determined to do it and he did). That bloke was a young man when I saw him last - fit, handsome, and a bit of a football hero. Today, I saw an old bloke limp heavily onto the field for a chat with the boys. I wonder if he saw me - an old girl sitting by herself near the goal posts at the canteen end of the footy field.

house
Originally uploaded by angie cat