I found an old ‘muse’ I had been writing in the shed some time ago and I decided to share….. it is about my Uncle Allen, my Mum’s Brother….

My Uncle Allen wasn’t a great man; he was a good man to me who will mostly be forgotten; and remembered for the questionable things he did.

I remember him now that I am older, 60 years now for me, and I don’t think he made that?

And, I remember him as I sit in my shed drinking, with a full ashtray; which was so often the appearance of his kitchen table, which he always seemed to be siting at, doing just that.

I have no doubt he shared my thoughts of ‘how did it all come to this?’

I think of him often; I miss him a lot.

He was always good to me; I think Dad and he liked each other a lot and probably on occassion looked after each other, in their way.

I think Uncle Allen missed his Dad Harold, a lot, as Harold died when Mum and he were young, and was a bit lost by it; as was my Dad in his way, about his beginnings.

I remember being young and going to see my Uncle Allen just before he died in the RAH. I was nervous, until the moment I walked into the room; we both knew it was the last time we would see each other; he made a difference in me and that was perhaps worth it, to his mate, my Dad.

My Mum, loved her brother unconditionally; which you had to do a bit with Uncle Allen; but, because my Mum did, I knew he was a man that had a good heart, I trusted him and loved him too.

I saw the best in my Uncle Allen and he saw the best in me.

I suppose things could have been different for both of us. I learned from him that your lot is not so bad.

I still miss him; he was a scallywag just like me and my Dad.

Well, that was my ‘muse’ from the shed a few months ago. I found a few old photos and thought I would share.

I have a lot of photos and was lucky my Mum kept a lot of those little old black and white ones which I have since scanned into the computer.

An old mate, Bob Kearney, once said to me “People will often never remember what you did, but they will always remember the way you made them feel”.

For all his faults my Uncle Allen made me feel I could always be better than what I was.

Perhaps that was his purpose.