I remember Dad being busy doing accounting work most every evening at The Gap. He would sit at the dining room table and complete the books of account fulfilling his role as – the Cooper’s church treasurer, the Glad Tidings Tabernacle (the TAB) auditor or the Teen Challenge financial controller. So I knew when I rang him up one evening to come and collect me from town that it was going to be a tough ask. But, I was stranded. I was in town, 25km from home, late at night, and with only 40c to my name. That 40c could have bought lots of things in those days, but I gambled on a 20c cry for help. “Dad, it’s Sam. Could you come and pick me up”. Dad: “Where are you”: Sam: “In town”. Dad: “That’s a bit far, could ring me from somewhere closer”. Now as I hung up I was rather perplexed. How was I going to ring him from somewhere closer? Walk towards home I guess!!. So I began the long trudging walk up Waterworks Road from the Normandy. Head down, one step following the next – on towards the break in the hills far in the distance, known as ‘The Gap’. I must have walked for about an hour because I finally made it to the landmark known as the Ashgrove terminus. This must surly be the ‘somewhere closer’ that Dad had wanted me to ring from. “Dad, it’s Sam again”. Dad: “Where are you now”. Sam:”At Ashgrove”. Dad: “Good, I will pick you up soon, but keep walking”. Now Waltons Bridge is only about 9 minutes from home and it was pretty dark there, and so I was quite startled when a VW screeched to a halt in the gravel right beside the footpath. Dad leaned over from inside David’s VW and opened the passenger door and in an animated voice said “Wow, that was lucky, I nearly missed you”. My tongue in cheek reply just had to be: “I really missed you too Dad”
