Relationships are an integral part of our lives and intertwine into the complex web of life creating the building blocks for who we become. It begins on day 1 when we are born and the bond between mother and child is formed. My bond was strong as I was my parents third child, but the first to survive. My life was full of parental love and the love of family. I felt secure and safe and was especially close to Mum. Times were tough so Dad worked long hours, while Mum took in washing and ironing to ensure we had the essentials of life.
Through this I learnt to appreciate what I had and to work hard to obtain my goals. I was already in primary school by the time my two sisters were born and my parents worked hard to ensure we bonded and there was no jealousy. I felt privileged because I had a real live doll where my friends only had toys. Though I’m not sure that’s the lesson Mum intended me to learn.
On one occasion my sister was in her carry cot crying while Mum was in the kitchen. Trying to be helpful I decided to take her to Mum. I carefully lined this cot up at the top of the stairs, gave it a push, sliding it all the way down. Luckily no damage was done, but Mum was quick to explain the error of my ways. The relationship between my parents was strong and helped them through a war and numerous difficulties which led them to seek a new life in Australia.
My Aunt was a big influence, she and I had a strong bond. I spent many hours with her watching her create beautiful landscape paintings, or sculptures from a lump of clay. From her I got my creative side. She encouraged me to trust myself and have the confidence to “go for it”. Whatever my goal, she believed I could achieve it.
I was a dreamer, often gazing out of the window and imagining what my future may hold. This led to me getting into trouble with teachers and of course, the inevitable parent teacher chats. I built strong friendships with other pupils. We were taught the value of teamwork and learning to relate to others. Teacher pupil relationships varied, some we really loved, but our math teacher was rather stern, so we didn’t like him so much. He had the amazing talent of writing on the board with his back to the class, then spinning around and throwing the chalk at the exact pupil who was talking or playing up. “How could he see through the back of his head?” we asked.
Many relationships shaped my life, teachers, employers, work colleagues, friends. During my Airforce career the importance of teamwork and careful planning were valuable lessons learnt and afforded me new opportunities after my service finished. I built some very strong friendships and a new confidence in my ability to handle whatever life throws my way.
Heather Hartland
October 2024
Through this I learnt to appreciate what I had and to work hard to obtain my goals. I was already in primary school by the time my two sisters were born and my parents worked hard to ensure we bonded and there was no jealousy. I felt privileged because I had a real live doll where my friends only had toys. Though I’m not sure that’s the lesson Mum intended me to learn.
On one occasion my sister was in her carry cot crying while Mum was in the kitchen. Trying to be helpful I decided to take her to Mum. I carefully lined this cot up at the top of the stairs, gave it a push, sliding it all the way down. Luckily no damage was done, but Mum was quick to explain the error of my ways. The relationship between my parents was strong and helped them through a war and numerous difficulties which led them to seek a new life in Australia.
My Aunt was a big influence, she and I had a strong bond. I spent many hours with her watching her create beautiful landscape paintings, or sculptures from a lump of clay. From her I got my creative side. She encouraged me to trust myself and have the confidence to “go for it”. Whatever my goal, she believed I could achieve it.
I was a dreamer, often gazing out of the window and imagining what my future may hold. This led to me getting into trouble with teachers and of course, the inevitable parent teacher chats. I built strong friendships with other pupils. We were taught the value of teamwork and learning to relate to others. Teacher pupil relationships varied, some we really loved, but our math teacher was rather stern, so we didn’t like him so much. He had the amazing talent of writing on the board with his back to the class, then spinning around and throwing the chalk at the exact pupil who was talking or playing up. “How could he see through the back of his head?” we asked.
Many relationships shaped my life, teachers, employers, work colleagues, friends. During my Airforce career the importance of teamwork and careful planning were valuable lessons learnt and afforded me new opportunities after my service finished. I built some very strong friendships and a new confidence in my ability to handle whatever life throws my way.
Heather Hartland
October 2024
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