In 1963 I was sitting in my second year high school class when the Deputy walked in and wrote Temperance on the board. He gave us all a sheet of writing paper and demanded we write an essay based on the word on the board.

No idea and from my quick observation of my mates nor did they. Luckily one of the girls was brave enough to raise their hand and ask. The only word I recall was alcoholism so I set to writing.

Six weeks later the Deputy again walked into the class and shocked us all by handing me a Certificate as the Best Country Essay winner. I could write!

Well that soon was reversed as in third year, fourth year and fifth year all my essays came back with the dreaded red ink top right corner with D-.

The stories have continued in my head but I dared not  put pen to paper. Fifty frustrating years later my partner challenged me to write one of the stories that she heard snippets of verbally from me. Add a story about 10 children under 12 who in 1926 entered the Daintree River with their parents and I couldn’t stop. I was hooked. But can I write?

Only you dear reader will ever be able to answer that question. I hope so.