Once I Was A Teenager

Remember those long-ago days of fatty Sunday roasts, junket, climbing mulberry trees, hula hoops, mini-skirts, surfing and rock ‘n’ roll? The advice your mother gave you to ‘Wear clean knickers in case you’re in a car accident.’ Her threats of ‘Wait until your father gets home’ or her warning, ‘No nice man will marry you if you eat with your mouth open.’

When the Strathern family moved to the coastal Sydney suburb of Collaroy, the neighbours feared the family of five and their dog in underpants would lower the tone on Pittwater Road.

Whether they did or not is for you to decide as Jonquil Graham takes you on a return journey to childhood and teenage years that included sea voyages, modelling assignments, making a movie, Contiki trips, doing the hippie trail across Asia and hitch-hiking around Europe.