6th Evans Rd, the Wajon’s clan
With my host family, Ria and Louis Wajon plus grown-up kids, I was absolutely lucky. Both left a war ravaged Europe at a very young age and sought their luck in Australia. As a teenager Louis had helped the Dutch resistance against the German occupiers, as a messenger. He was youngest among 12 siblings and there was hardly any emotional or material attention left for him. After leaving, he chose to never (?) speak Dutch again and developed an Australian migrant accent all of his own. Louis worked self-employed as a builder and taught gymnastics at the Hornsby Police Boys Club.
Ria worked as a primary school teacher. A warm and reflected if somewhat soft an a little timid person. For the time I was with them I referred to them – as was YFU norm – as Mum and Dad. Both were tolerant to and supportive of me to unusual extends (no way I would have put up with myself at that time).
Diaan, my older host sister, almost immediately captivated me and I developed a lasting, not annoying and highly personalised crush on her (more or less to this day, I am still a little excited when I see her or receive a letter by her). Personalised in the sense that this had to do only and exclusively with her truly unusual character; for me, she did not represent anything but herself, not women, not the older sister, not the stylish woman in the know. Just Diaan.
Simone was still exchange student in the US when I arrived. Upon her return we did not get along too well and mostly avoided each other company.
Paul was an aspiring medical doctor, a little cliche, very much focused on career, status of girlfriend in connection to the status of the car he owned (he drove an Alfa but his then girlfriend, a nurse, left him for a medic with a better car).
And then there was Scott, an former student of marine biology, later photographer (brillant in both but not really successful). He later married the beautiful and rather enigmatic Irish family friend Isabel. This seems to have been more successful.
–> Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/gp/jankoehler/8oaphF
–> next page