Thread Rating:
  • 2 Vote(s) - 5 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
The mysterious disappearance of Penrite Wilson... Westall 1966
#1
First, let me introduce Penrite.  Penrite came to my school St Pats Mentone in 1965.  Entered 2nd Grade. A skinny kid with glasses and an an ill fitting school uniform. Uniform was too large.  Always wore a tie and rode a 22 inch Malvern Star bike with streamers on the grips and a basket on the front. "Nerd" wasn't a comment in those days and poor Penrite suffered bullying beyond belief.  He spoke with an American accent but later we discovered he was from Canada. We all rode 26 inch Malvern Stars with a rack on the back and if lucky a light! Noone wanted to sit next to Penrite in class, even the girls.  

I often saw Penrite playing by himself.  He had these small plastic ships which he would move about in the dirt.  He kept them in a little green bag. On occasions these were kicked and stomped upon by the six graders.  Meanwhile the rest of us played 'footy'.  Penrite wasn't a catholic name in the bible.  Not that I knew of.  Everyone in my class was named after a saint.  Including sister Mary Peter.  Our teacher that year.

Well, I lived in Mentone and he lived in adjoining Parkdale and I accidentally met him on the beach at Port Phillip near 'Seagull Rock" one day while riding to Mordialloc Pier to go fishing.  I saw his red bike leaning on the causeway and he was in the sand with his plastic ships moving them around.  Must've been fifty to sixty little ships of all sorts.  I called out loudly, "Penrite!" and did a skid on my blue 26 inch bike pulling up.  Penrite was spooked. He stood up brushing the sand from his legs.  

"Watcha doin." I asked looking at the small ships in the sand.

"Just playin"  He replied.

I chucked my bike next to Penrites and walked down onto the sand.  Nice calm morning with Seagull Rock on in the background.  I watched Penrite try to pick up his little plastic ships.

I said, "Hey, leave them, that looks good."  There were Aircraft Carriers, Battleships, Cruisers, Destroyers and some Subs.

He said, somewhat sadly, while wiping his glasses, "Just playin."

It was then, in the first time of my seven and a half years that something hit me.  Dunno what it was, just a feeling.

Somewhat hesitantly I asked, "Can I play too?"  I looked around.  Guilty!

Well, Penrite showed me the tactics.  Something about Aircraft Carriers rule the waves and the detroyers protect them.  The subs were sent to the enemy along with aircraft and always won the day.  It was a couple of hours later that I realized I wouldn't be riding to Mordialloc for fishing.  I said to Penrite, "Gotta go mate!"  (Mate?)  I rode soundlessly home.  My thoughts were elsewhere.

I was quiet at the dinner table that night.  Dad asked, "Did you catch any fish?"  "Nah", I sharply replied.  Mum started at me and yelled, "Don't you dare talk to your father like that!"  My elder brother giggled. My sisters looked at each other wide eyed.  Tears in my eyes I said in a squeaky quivering voice, "Sorry, I was playin with a boy named Penrite at the beach, I didn't go fishin."  That was my Saturday.  At Saint Pats Sunday mass the next day I saw Penrite with his parents and his little sisters.  His mum was pretty but his dad actually looked like Penrite glasses and all.  Found out later he was a scientist. Penrite smiled at me.  I grimaced and looked down.

I stayed at home all day after church and found myself playing with sticks in the backyard dirt.  Big ones were the aircraft carriers, smaller ones the cruisers and destroyers and so forth.  I found it hard to sleep that night.

At school on Monday I didn't play footy at lunchtime.  I wandered around.  I saw Penrite with his plastic ships.  Moving them around, silently playing.  I watched as the "Mooney" boys from grade six led by Marcus Mooney walk and trample over Penrites ships.  Penrite just sat on the ground wiping his glasses.  The 'Mooneys' were laughing and the biggest, Thomas Mularchy, cuffed Penrite over the head.  I yelled, "Hey, stop it!" Well, Thomas comes up to me and pushes me in the chest.  Being light weight, I fell on my back.  The "Mooney" gang stood over me.  "Well Bally, what are you going to do?" sneered Marcus.  I did nothing.  I was scared.

Before the bell rang for classes that afternoon Penrite came up to me and handed me a fine looking plastic aircraft carrier he pulled out of his bag.  He said, "Here, it's yours, floats in the bath."  Sure enough, that evening while having a bath I pushed the little plastic toy around.  Kept it for years.

Penrite and I became friends.  Albeit from my perspective I was an undercover friend.  Couldn't lose face as a member of the McGann crowd of boys with 26 inch bikes and mine was the only blue one.  Stood out mate. 

Time went slowly in those days as a child but silently I became a firm friend of Penrite who lived in Bethal Avenue, Parkdale and on occasions I would ride over there after school and watch the TV with him.  The Three Stooges was a staple.  Then I'd have to peddle back to Mentone for dinner.  His mother was most gracious offering home made cake and gushing that Penrite had a friend.  I saw his father sitting over a desk, reading, puffing on a pipe only taking it out to order another cup of coffee from Penrite's mother.  Other than that, Mister Wilson didn't talk to me at all.  His sisters were annoying but funny.  They never had friends over.  And that's how it was on occasions.  I think Penrite understood I couldn't be seen with him so I went back to footy at lunchtime and he played in the dirt by himself when at school.

The next year, '66', we were in the same class together.  Sister Gabriel was our now our teacher.  I was seated near Penrite and often we'd pass notes to each other devising ways of meeting up. Also he was a champ at sums and got me through a few tests (exams) with his notes.

Because of the fact we were good mates I devised a plan to "wag" (play hookey, truancy) school and get out for a day.  Penrite's dad had bought him a 26 inch bike recently but the flamin thing still had a basket on the front and streamers from the rubber grips on the handlebars.  Bit embarrasing to be seen riding with him. He also kept his plastic ships in the green bag placed in the basket.

On this day, Wednesday the 6th of April, 1966 I concocted a scheme for Penrite and I to wag school.  I was good at planning stuff.  I left home a little earlier than usual with my Vegemite and lettuce sandwiches, apple and the new decimal twenty cent coin.  I met Penrite at the intersection of Nepean Highway and Warrigal Road in the carpark of the Mentone Bowling Alley.  He had cake!  We put on footy jumpers over our school uniform and I put my lunch bag and school jumper in Penrite's bike basket.  Off we went, full tilt, down across Nepean Highway then onto the Lower Dandenong Road towards Moorabin Airport.  We were gonna watch the planes take off and land.

After about 15 minutes riding we had Moorabin Airport on our left.  In those days there was plently of bush aound the airport so when we reached Clayton Road we turned left.  Dismounted and pushed the bikes into the wattle bush.  On foot we managed to find our way to the fence line.  We could hear engine noises and looked skywards but there were no planes in sight.  So there we sat.  After some time we saw an aeroplane moving on the runway.  I said, "Look!"  Penrite replied, "It's only a Cessna."  I said,  "Well, it's a plane."  He squinted at me through his glasses, "But it's not a Jet Airliner is it."  I thought to myself, "I've never seen a jet."  I didn't know if there were Jet Airliners here.  Penrite knew.  He'd flown in one.  Well, he was from Canada I pondered.  To change the subject I said, "I wonder if sister Gabriel has noticed us missing.  Penrite answered, "Yeah, she's okay but she never spoke to me."  I reflected on that comment.  For a young bloke that was a sign of growing up.  Sister Gabriel never called Penrite by his first name, always said, "Mister Wilson."  Classmates would giggle.  

The little Cessna taxied near us, throttled up and took off.  I watched in awe.  Penrite said,  "This is boring."  I said, "Well, wadda you want to do?"  He simply said,  "Let's, look around."  I said, "At what?"  He said, "Let's keep riding."

So with that Penrite led the way back to the bikes.  He checked his basket and then we headed along Clayton Road.  We reached Heatherton Road.  I said, "Hey I know this place.  There's a golf club up here where you can pinch golf balls."  Penrite replied, "What do we want golf balls for?"  I said, "Penrite, just for fun. And, I need a drink.  There's a tap there as well."

We got to the park and lifted the bikes over the chest high barbed fence.  I spotted a sprinkler and being thirsty rode over to it.  I waited then grabbed the thing like a snake.  Cupped my free hand and commenced drinking.  Before I knew it Penrite was behind me and after my fill he aped what I did.  Dropping the thing it then chattered and caught us unawares wetting our footy jumpers.  

Laughing we rode further north through the park keeping within the tree lines and crossing another fence.  Little did we know we crossed into Heatherton Park. We ventured upon a dirt track which followed a fenceline for some time until we saw some farmers and a tractor.  They were looking at us.  Figuring we were lost, I just said, "Follow me." Again at as fast as we could travel we rode towards some large pine trees in the distance and boy was I relieved when we rode into the confines of the trees and bush.  Penrite asked when we stopped, pushing the rim of his glasses up' "Do you know where we are?"  I replied puffing, "Yeah mate." Slowly then we continued through the pines and bush until we came to a clearing that seemed reasonable enough to stop without being seen.  I said, "Let's eat."

Sitting among the pines and surrounding bush I shared my vegemite and and lettuce sandwiches and feasted upon a large helping of Penrite's mother's cake.  When finished, Penrite said, 'Do you wanna play ships?"  I answered "Sure."  Penrite went to his bike and plucked out the little bag of plastic ships from his bikes basket.  He set them up in a two fleet pattern spread out in the pine needles.  His last words to me were, "Remember to protect your carriers."  It was then we heard airplane engines and sure enough some aeroplanes were circling above.  I just said, "I have to take a piss."  Walked away and commenced to leak into a small wattle.  The plane engine noises got louder. When finished leaking I saw Penrite pointing and looking to the sky.  There was a thing in the air unlike the aeroplanes.  Simply silver and round, moving from side to side and another one but higher up. I was gobsmacked.  It must be the Lord God himself looking for us.  The Silver thing got bigger, it was coming down.  The aeroplanes reminded me of seagulls but with roaring engine noises turning and diving around the silver disc thing.

The silver disc thing came right down on top of our little clearing. I saw Penrite take off his glasses and wipe them on his footy jumper.  I yelled, "RUN PENRITE!"   There was light and heat.  I ran to my bike.  The thing landed almost on top of Penrite.  At this time I watched in horror as his little plastic ships started smoking.  The basket on his bike caught alight and the colored plastic streamers from the handgrips of his bike melted.  I just cut a groove and shot through.  I saw a crowd of kids jumping the nearest fence and coming towards me.  I turned and pedalled hard away until I came to a fence line.  The plane noises were deafening as was the other kids yelling.  Whether from sheer strength and adrenalin I threw my bike over the fence, climbed and dropped to the other side.  Puffing, I put feet to the pedals and shot up the nearest road.

I now know I was on Osborne street.  There were school kids everywhere and I saw teachers so that made me ride harder.  I hoped Penrite got out okay.  I found my way on Clayton Road.  Instinctively rode towards the bay.  South.  The planes were still above.  Maybe they could see my St Kilda footy jumper.  I stopped and took it off realising I'd left my lunch bag and school jumper behind.  I saw Kingston Road and knowing this I turned and followed that to Warrigal Road.  Down Warrigal Road, across the Nepean Highway and back to the school grounds.  At this time everyone at St Pats were in classes.  I circled the school, came in the backstreet and place my bike in the sheltered bike racks.  Sitting amongst the bikes, I caught my breath.  In the distance I could still hear aeroplanes.  I just stayed put.  The engine noises died down.

The lunch bell sounded and as usual kids came out and sitting on benches commenced to eat their lunch.  I saw the other boys from my class with their football.  To calm down I went to the tuck shop.  Still had my twenty cents.  I bought a roll, milk and some licorice blocks.  Sitting by myself, I gobbled and drank the lot down.  Went and played footy.  In class after lunchtime it was as though I had never been missed.  Even sister Gabriel didn't say anything.  All was good.

Mum and Dad both worked and my sisters at this time always had things cooking and ready for dinner time.  I rode home from school, went inside and sat in my room.  My brother came home from his school, knuckled me in the head as usual but I lashed out.  

At the dinner table my dad said, "Did you hear the planes roaring.  It sounded like the Japs bombing Darwin."  I couldn't eat.  Mum said to me, "Are you alright dear?"  I replied that I wasn't feeling well and excused myself from the table.  I went to my bedroom and lay on the bed crying.  Later mum came in asking what was wrong.  All I could say was the planes took Penrite.  Mum had no idea what I was talking about.  

The next morning all was usual.  Except I couldn't find me school jumper so mum would have to buy a new one.  I wore my footy jumper instead with a note to school excusing me for not wearing the school guernsey.  In class I glanced to where Penrite should be sitting.  Sister Gabriel didn't say a thing.  At recess I played footy but kept glancing to where Penrite used to play with his toy ships.  

It was Friday after school I plucked up the courage and pedalled hard to Bethal Avenue in Parkdale.  At Penrites place I walked my bike as usual onto the front lawn, dropped it and went to the front door.  I knocked.  No sound, no young girls laughing.  I knocked again.  I saw through the frosted glass a figure come to the door.  The door opened and I saw a middle aged lady who I'd never seen before. I said, "Hi, is Penrite home?'  She said "Penrite who?"  I replied, "Penrite Wilson." She politely offered, "You must have the wrong house young man.  Who are you."  I stood there quivering for a short time.  Couldn't muster a word.  I said, "Sorry."  Went to my bike, got one and commenced to ride away.  The woman called out, "What's your name?"  This made me pedal harder. That night in the bath I looked at the little plastic Aircraft Carrier.  Never touched it again. 

The End
#2
smallawesome  Just    smallawesome
Once A Rogue, Always A Rogue!
[Image: attachment.php?aid=936]
#3
(06-21-2020, 07:56 AM)guohua Wrote: smallawesome  Just    smallawesome

Thankyou,

You are very kind,

Regards,

Bally
#4
Nicely done bally.
Liked that a lot.
G
[Image: CoolForCatzSig.png]
#5
(06-21-2020, 09:21 AM)gordi Wrote: Nicely done bally.
Liked that a lot.
G

Yes it was, I sure miss the story telling and the voting and then the all night Party for the Winner  minusculeguzzlingbeer.
Once A Rogue, Always A Rogue!
[Image: attachment.php?aid=936]
#6
Great yarn... thank you.
minusculethumbsup
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe. 
#7
(06-21-2020, 09:21 AM)gordi Wrote: Nicely done bally.
Liked that a lot.
G

Thanks Gordi.
#8
(06-21-2020, 09:26 AM)BIAD Wrote: Great yarn... thank you.
minusculethumbsup

My pleasure,

Thank you for reading,

Kind regards,

Bally
#9
Enjoyed reading that. Thanks for posting minusculebiggrin
#10
(06-21-2020, 11:55 AM)TheDoctor46 Wrote: Enjoyed reading that. Thanks for posting minusculebiggrin

No worries.  Glad you found the story interesting.

Kind regards,

Bally
#11
A great read and once again thank you for sharing your writing with us.

I'm a fan.

tinyinlove
[Image: attachment.php?aid=8135]

#12
Excellent story, great imagination, great writing skills...


I'll stop now. Don't want to swell your head too big. tinylaughing    I loved it!   smallawesome
#13
(06-22-2020, 10:05 PM)Lumenari Wrote: A great read and once again thank you for sharing your writing with us.

I'm a fan.

tinyinlove

Thank you for the fine comment.  The real story of Westall 66 is an intriguing one.

Kind regards,

Bally
#14
(06-22-2020, 10:12 PM)Mystic Wanderer Wrote: Excellent story, great imagination, great writing skills...


I'll stop now. Don't want to swell your head too big. tinylaughing    I loved it!   smallawesome

If my ugly head swelled I'd be much more scarier.   tinybiggrin  Cheers for taking the time to read and passing on your kind comment.

Regards,

Bally
#15
I really liked this story.  I could see all things in my mind like a movie going throughout the tale. 

Great story telling.  Poor Penrite.
#16
(06-23-2020, 12:06 AM)DaphneApollo Wrote: I really liked this story.  I could see all things in my mind like a movie going throughout the tale. 

Great story telling.  Poor Penrite.

That's a very touching reply.  

I must say at this juncture, Penrite has hardly aged, not like me.  Something to do with Time Dilation. 

He's fine.

Thanks for reading,

Bally
#17
Wonderful story, Bally.

Sounds like it was time for Penrite to go home.

Thanks for the hint about Westall '66.  I've never heard of that one (or so I think at the moment).

Cheers!
[Image: 14sigsepia.jpg]

Location: The lost world, Elsewhen
#18
(07-13-2020, 12:19 PM)F2d5thCav Wrote: Wonderful story, Bally.

Sounds like it was time for Penrite to go home.

Thanks for the hint about Westall '66.  I've never heard of that one (or so I think at the moment).

Cheers!

Perhaps check the timings, locations and date.  You'll see they were pretty close to the mark.  Names changed of course.  Westall 66 was a significant UFO story.  Many vids about it from the witnesses.

Kind regards,

Bally:)


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)