So yeah, work it out and you might agree that I was too young to get married. But in 1978, that’s what I did, and it has lasted for four decades. Some rough patches, some smooth. Obviously, there was something right about it, even if there was a bit of concern back then that it wouldn’t last.
Respect to my wife Marg for putting up with me for so long. This photo is of Marg on our honeymoon. We spent that precious time in Denmark, on Western Australia’s south coast. Something must have clicked, because we ended up shifting to the region six years later and we have lived on the south coast ever since.
There are quite a few photos of Marg over the years, but not as many as you might expect for a camera enthusiast’s partner. She may pop up from time to time in this photo selection, but probably not as much as our children do. That’s part of what parenthood is about, putting your children forward while you stay somewhat out of frame.
But the children are off in the future. In 1978, it was all about setting up a first home, both of us students living on next to nothing.
We started off in a tiny house in the Perth suburb of Manning, with nothing between us and the Canning River – except a busy construction site as Perth’s freeway extended south. Despite the roadworks, I could wander over to the river on a misty morning and experiment with muted colours and reflections.
Sometimes you take a photo that is more meaningful to other people than it is to you. This is a photo of a beautiful old farmhouse near Bridgetown. It was the family home for a branch of Marg’s side of the family. I think the photo is nice enough, but they loved it. I had a print made for them. Eventually, the needs of the family changed and the farm passed out of their hands. But still, some four decades later, they are apt to mention the photo when they see me, and they thank me again for taking their favourite image of the former family home. It is nice for your craft to deliver something precious to someone else, even though its particular value may not be apparent to you.