The Worst Photo on Earth

(a.k.a. Fright In The Night)

This is probably the worst photo ever made of me... I'll take take the risk of posting it though, in the hope it might be of some therapeutic use. It's one of those photo's you almost deliberately put away as far as possible so that you never need to look at it and hope that nobody else ever finds it either. Nevertheless, I have always wanted to keep it near to me somehow, because it is an important photo in other ways... me in a different life and in different times, a totally different person.

Guess which one's me (and no, I'm not the middle one)

 

It was taken in December 1978, just after we'd received the results of our final exams. This was our farewell party. This was the last time we would all be together in one place and although I saw a number half a year later in Sydney, I've never seen any of them again. With the exception of Peter then, who lived/lives fairly close to where my mother lives but even that was 10 years ago.

Ten months after this photo was taken, I left Australia for good, never to return for more than a few weeks at a time. In hindsight I wonder if I had been wise in doing so, but not knowing what the alternatives might have been and not being able to do anything about it either, the question's pretty irrelevant really.

Things happen and you take them as they come. Some thingsI did were pretty good moves, others were so dumb I'm totally ashamed of myself occasionally. Nevertheless, they're what's made me me so they also have played important parts in the life in which I have the leading role.