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Chris Culling was born in 1950 in Khartoum. Her father whose surname was McFarlane worked for the Forces.
Chris went to Troon Primary School and lived at 15 Wemyss Crescent, Troon and many other addresses as her father's job was always on the move. She recalls a friend, Louise Beton (now Thompson), from her early days.
She emigrated to Australia many years ago and has worked at numerous jobs there.
I have strong memories of being taken to Glasgow by my grandparents; my grandmother had a regular hairdresser's appointment and my grandfather used to take us to Boot's library to change his books.
If we were very quiet and well behaved he bought us a barley sugar stick to suck on the way home. We had to make it last as we went to his home in Coalburn, Lanarkshire.
At Christmas we were taken, sometimes to the pantomime in Glasgow, and then out to tea, for beans on toast and chips which we thought was very exciting!
When we stayed with the grandparents in Coalburn we were sent out with sixpence to the post office and told to by one comic and some sweets; we had to account for all the money when we got back. Grandmother was an ex-school teacher!
We were often sent for a walk over the moors to the caves, which on looking back is amazing as it was quite a long way and we were less than 10 years old. We also used to go on a walk to a 'ghost town' near Coalburn that was very scary. We went on this walk with grown ups as it was a bit further.
Most of the people in the village knew us as my grandfather was the village doctor and had delivered them or their children into this world. While at school in Coalburn we had polio jabs and were lined up with our sleeves rolled up in the corridor in sheer terror.
When my brother dared to talk during school assembly he was made to learn the 23rd Psalm by heart, one line per day!
I learned to swim at Troon swimming baths, which was SO cold compared with pools in Australia. We only went in a heated pool once, at Butlin's on a special trip.
Chris Culling, Australia, 2002
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