We grew up together, living only a few streets
apart and going to the same school. Her name is Jenny. A beautiful soul who is
kind and free spirited. I remember how young we were when we met, only just old
enough to be at school. We used to learn ballet together. We shared a love for
the dance that soon blossomed into a friendship that has lasted most of my
life.
The town where we grew up was small. Everyone knew
one another, and everyone cared. The town was hot and dry. Come summer time you
could taste the heat, but that never slowed anyone down. I can remember sunset,
standing on the driveway with my family, looking at the Kangaroos in the field
opposite our home, grazing in the long sun burnt grass. A chorus of lions could
be heard roaring in their not so distant home. If I closed my eyes it was easy
to imagine I was in Africa, exploring and discovering great things. When I
opened my eyes, I was always happy to find that I hadn't left, and that my hand
was still in my father and mother's, their smiles warming my heart. They were
my home, and I was not ready to leave.
Jenny and I were wild with imagination. We could
run about, exploring and dreaming from morning till night, never tiring, with
smiles painted on our lips and stories in our eyes.
I can remember the summer heat, clinging to our
flesh as we ran around her enormous back yard, creating new stories and
adventures to excitedly play out. When the heat became too much, we would eat
ice-creams, our feet dangling in her pool, with colourful streaks of ice-cream
running from our elbows, the sun reddening our cheeks. Those summers were
magical and free.
Then one summer it was over. We moved from the dry
little town soon after the flames from bushfires tore most of it down. Our
childhood home had changed. We had out grown it and the little town was forever
changed. We left, but not before seeing the lush buds of green emerging from
the ash.
Although my dear friend stayed behind, I would
never forget the little girl who I used to dance and play with. The young free
spirit who shaped my childhood and set my imagination free. My friend.
Sometimes I am lucky enough to spend a day with her, to run around, playing in
her backyard once more.
This editorial, as well as an interview was plublished in 'The Unexposed' magazine (Issue 5, 2012). I am featured from pages
18-23. The online edition of the magazine can be found here.
Model: Jenny Glynn
Photography: Caitlin Sclater