A free spirit stopped from visiting his birth-place.

 

 A free spirit stopped from visiting his birth-place.

I have many sad and fond memories of Naval Base.  My first joyous Christmas is probably my most unforgettable and takes me back to the twin trees soaring high on Canberra Pandang. 

I lived across the field in Block 7 Room 8 Kowloon Road, where I was born in 1957. The thin leaves of a fir tree were covered with colorful lights.  I was a child sitting under the tree gazing at the twinkling lights. ‘Twas rainy December when nights are usually dark and skies aren’t starry and I wondered if the stars had descended on the brightly decorated tree. As I watched the dazzling lights my mind began replaying:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are

It was a special feeling for a child, sitting in the country side under the moonlight in the open field lined with swaying palms experiencing the magic of Christmas, something I don’t think can happen in a modern urban landscape.

 The Christmas tree brought ‘night life’ in the neighborhood. Children who were usually home- bound at nights were drawn outdoors by the beautiful tree.  They circled around the fir trees with lighted sparklers and played blind man’s bluff  and the  night created bigger suspense for both police and thief.

There was so much joy and laughter and I looked forward to this magical season.

 CHRISTMAS WISH IN HOSPITAL

Christmas is also the season of giving, but we knew many families couldn’t afford this luxury, as making ends meet was the biggest challenge.  But we were street smart and knew that Santa would be bearing gifts for children in hospital and felt ‘fortunate’ being admitted in Sinna (small) hospital to fulfil our ‘Christmas wish’.

During Christmas, Nelson Road leading to Admiralty House was also brightly decorated with sparkling lights where we often strolled to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere. Christmas in Naval Base will always be unforgettable to me.

MOVIES

Watching horror movies is also unforgettable for me and I am sure for many.  I remembered paying 50 cents to see a show in the Naval Base Cinema. The cinema mainly screened English movies and had two sections, A and B class. The A Class was mainly patronized by the British.  There were two screenings during week days at 6.30 and 9pm with a matinee during the weekends and public holidays.

The seats were bare and hard and smoking which was allowed reeked our precious wear. I recall an occasion accompanying friends to see Dracula a horror black and white movie.

The cinema was about a 15- min walk from home and I happily skipped through the countryside passing Block 19, taking a narrow foot-path snaking across the open green field, passing colonial black and white houses before reaching the cinema. 

However, the return journey in the stark night turned out to be a different scene.

The black and white houses appeared pitch black except for dim bulbs hanging on twisted wires. The huge African tulip trees whose bulbs we playfully squirted each other looked monster-like and roads deserted.  The footpath was unclear and the green open fields were draped in black.   The myriad birds which tweeted in daylight were silent except for the shrill hooting of an owl that punctuated the night air.  I sensed we all shared the same dreadful feelings as we avoided talking about the movie. Horror scenes from the movie began to replay and my imagination started running wild and felt like running home.  

 We walked as fast as we could, our hearts pounding faster with each step we took.  It was a huge sigh of relief seeing distant lights approaching from the blocks before reaching home.

TRACING MY ROOTS

A few years ago, on a bright sunny day, when I was taking a leisurely stroll down Durban Road, I was abruptly stopped by a Security personnel.  I reasoned that this was my birth place where I was allowed to roam freely under the British, ANZUK and NZ forces and couldn’t understand why I was being stopped now.  He kindly allowed me to continue my journey and I hope to continue Part 2 of my story.

Mike Anpalagam shares memories with Alfred Dass.