By 2003, I was a veritable memento keeping champion. I'd been doing it for 4 years by this point, and boy did I hoard EVERYTHING, it's going to take a few posts to get through this one. But of course, 2003 was a big year for me. I had a boyfriend, and then I didn't, I got a brand new sister and 2003 was also...
~The Year I Went to Ironbark~
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| This artwork is way too good to be mine. No idea who's it is... |
Ironbark kinda dominates this box, so it’s
worth explaining. My school sends its students to live on a farm for 5 weeks
and learn about ropes and camping and cooking and animals and god. I did this
in Grade 10, it was an amazing time. I learnt about all those things, and have since forgotten all of them, especially god.
Item – Ironbark Handbook – 2003
A heavily scribbled on book that details
all the things we were meant to learn while on the camp. It’s a workbook, so
it’s filled with my answers. We had to keep a rain chart and learn about
knots, there’s info on the flora and fauna of the area (near Crow’s Nest, QLD)
and how to treat farm animals. There’s a lot on farm etiquette (closing gates,
crossing ploughed fields correctly etc) and pages and pages of Christian Songs.
The amazingly tacky ones. Ones like “Lord of the Dance”, “The Blind Man” and
“Every Day”!
*clap clap*
Item – Ironbark Journal – 2003
We had to keep a daily journal and I
(surprisingly) actually managed this. I just read the whole thing and it’s
really interesting. It’s a much, much more honest record than
the ones I’d kept up until this point. I laughed out loud in parts too. Best
story has to be:
“Claudia’s bed is near a window in the carriage and
Kellie and I were on her bed shining torches at the guys. They were shining
them back and then Connor, Frenchie and Loos mooned us! Ahhhhh! Then they were
pretending to be having an orgy and Mr Morris came! It was hil-ar-i-ous!!”
I mean. It’s a funny enough story on it’s
own. But then the hilarious semantic error of using the word “came” in that
sentence. I think it must have been completely innocent, and what I meant was
“Mr Morris walked past and caught them!” but that is NOT WHAT THAT SAYS RIGHT
THERE.
Letter – from Charlie – 2003
I didn’t really get homesick at Ironbark.
But I did get sibling sick. My baby sister, Sally was just 11 days old when I
left for camp. Patrick was 3 and Charlie, 6. I missed them in an aching sort of
way. Charlie wrote me some of the best damn letters, and drew me amazing
pictures, all of which I put up on my wall above my bunk. This letter is too
beautiful not to share:
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| Zero scales were given that day |
Item – Movie Stub – 2003
I saw Seabiscuit
apparently.
Photo – Of Morgan in amazing frame – 2003
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| I texted him to ask if I could use this, he said, "who am I to censor?" |
This is Morgan, my first real boyfriend. We got together in 2002 and dated for 6 months. Look at his adorable face. This man has a wife and a baby now. A wife. And a baby. And also, some really awesome photos, if you like men with wives, babies and photos, he is your man.
Word Processed Letter – from Caitlin – 2003
Caitlin always had my back. That’s the
biggest thing I remember about my friendship with Caitlin. We ended up living
together for a time a few years back, and at school, we were very close. She
came on a bunch of my family holidays. If I ever told a lie to cover my tracks
or my own embarresment, Caitlin would always go along with it, straight away,
without question and then never mention it again. She was the best. In this letter
she apologises for not hanging out with me much at the school fete (there were
reasons), wonders why another girl doesn’t like us anymore and includes a photo
of Tahiti to cheer me up. Legend.
Item – Disintegrated remains of The Hobbit – c1970s-2003 RIP
I think this copy was my dad’s originally,
but I read it to death, literally.
Item – Poster of shirtless David Beckham –
2003
I don’t remember ever being interested in
this gentleman’s football career, so I suspect TeenLizzy’s interest in him lay
elsewhere.
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| I hear he was good at some kind of sport |
Another Letter - from Charlie – 2003
God he was so adorable! What ever
happened?!
Photo – of me and tiny Sally – 2003
Why, it must be the first photo of me and Sally, ever! Look at her tufty hair! Her squidgy face! My smug smile that says “yes. This small creature is mine. She is perfect. You may not have her.”
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| squidge! |
Item – paintings by James and Annabel –
2003
My cousins did some damn good art for me in
2003.
Item – Tiny Diary – 2003
First entry mentions Morgan touching my
boobs AND the news that Mum is pregnant (with Sally). Second entry (a month
later) details my desire to remain a virgin until marriage, bush fires, the
loss of a much beloved lip gloss and the fact that mum was hospitalised because
she was dehydrated (and you know… pregnant). Such a busy and exciting life I led.
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