Something about me. Read about my home town of Kaikohe, Northland, New Zealand
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Something about me

So, you think you will learn all about me here. Well, I'm sorry, but you won't. What you will find out about me here is some of my early days on this planet, as well as some photos of me as a kid, and some of the places I lived.

So to start - I was born on the 20th of September, 1939, just about the same time that England declared war on Germany. By the time I was old enough to know what was going on, it was, thankfully, all over. I remember the American soldiers at their Army Camp near home at Onehunga, Auckland (in New Zealand of course). To me they meant American stick chewing gum, mosquito nets to play with, and a source of boyfriends for some of my older cousins who were living with us at the time.

[Home at Onehunga] This is the family home where I spent my first 23 years. For a while I slept in the covered in part of the front verandah, then later moved into the room on the left at the front. Luxury - my own big room, and in these old houses the rooms were big. The outside view of the house is deceptive.

The building on the left at the back was the garage for the car, but before that it was the wash house, bathroom, and toilet. Yes, we had to cross the yard for those things. Later, a bathroom, then a wash house and toilet were added to the back of the house, and an electric hot water cylinder installed. Great - no more heating the bath water up in the wash house copper.

[Old picture of house at Onehunga] Before I go any further, this is an earlier photo of the same house, before part of the verandah was covered in, and before the swamp behind the property was planted in basket willow trees. They were planted originally for the Blind Institute to use for basket making. These willow trees grew very fast in the wet conditions and had long thin shoots. These same trees provided us with all the firewood we could use, and gave me and my mates a great place to play.

I started my schooling life at kindergarten when I was about 4, then from 5 years to 11 I attended the Onehunga Primary School, which held it's 125th Jubilee Reunion in October, 1998. From there I spent 2 years at Intermediate School. Intermediate Schools are, I believe, a peculiarity of the New Zealand system, where children spend 2 years between Primary and Secondary Schools. After this I spent 4 years at Auckland Grammar School, a boys only school, one of the best in the country.

Before I go any further, here is a couple of photos of me!

[Baby Denis] [Denis as a young boy] Don't I look just great in my baby photo! I don't know what age I was, funny, I can't remember.

The one on the right is me as a young lad, probably while I was at Intermediate School. I have aged since then.

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Updated May 14, 2001