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About Me
- Victor
- I have worked in several fields, including teaching undergraduates at Southern Cross U (Creative Writing and Literary Texts; Culture, Sexuality & Gender) and doing some editing work. Previously I worked in television production, in Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles and, before that, I taught meditation - on behalf of my esteemed guru - in East Asia and Pacific Rim countries. In an earlier life I agitated for the cause of Australian writing for the stage. I gained my PhD from the University of Queensland in 2007 with a study of subjectivity and spirituality in life narratives by gay men. I have recently published my third book - a spiritual memoir disguised as a gay coming-of-age story, titled "The Boy in the Yellow Dress". Meanwhile my book "Mr. Isherwood Changes Trains: Christopher Isherwood and the search for the home self" came out, April 2010, and a collection of essays I edited and compiled "Speak Now: Australian perspectives on same-sex marriage" was published October 2011.
Recent shot
a more current image, showing the A G E !! (The one with Julie, below, is 30 years ago... (ahem)
Victor and Julie
Adelaide, 1977
My Guru and His Disciples
Maharaji with the (Western) instructors, gathered around a map of the world. Miami, Florida, ca. 1978 or '79. Can you spot me? Remember, it was 30 years ago...
The actor as hippie
Taken at Nimrod Street Theatre, Darlinghurst, 1971.
Group shot at premie retreat
Hooray for the 70s!
Singing the praises
On the road as an instructor (Grote Street, Adelaide)
The hollow scroll
He ponders the degree... His parents were proud, but after 4 years' neurotic anxiety, the sub-text should read: "Is that all there is?" The University crest carried the motto: 'Seek Wisdom', and his faculty motto exhorted him to: 'Know Thyself!' but he hadn't found what he was looking for... (enter the guru)
David back at work
News report on David's recovery. His brother's premature death, just 18 months after this shot, plunged him into an existential crisis.
Good news for David
Newspaper report of my brother's transplant operation
Family portrait
Rather stiff family shot conceals the fact that David is ill. This is positively the last time that Valerie submitted to the girlie makeover.
Permanent wave
My mother administers one of her blistering perms to her sister Verna
Brothers at school
Victor and his Big Brother David (taken at Victoria Park Primary School)
Valerie as cowgirl
There is no truth to the rumour that this girl will never quit her tomboy ways... You go, girl! (Taken on the front verandah, 6 Howick Street, Victoria Park)
Brother and sister
Protective brother David with his joy-filled baby sister, Valerie
Sister Valerie
Adorable sister as baby, in sun hat. (Taken behind Grandma Evans's caravan, back yard of 6 Howick Street)
Travelling salesman
Father strides to work (London Court, Perth). 'He looks like the Duke of Edinburgh', my mother's envious girlfriends would comment.
Mother with sons
Letitia with her two sons (Victoria Park)
Frank and the ladies play cards
The dashing beau with his future in-laws
The newlyweds
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Staff-sergeant Marsh with his young bride
Frank as bachelor
My father, Frank, as a young bachelor; aged around 31, ca. 1941 or 42?
2 girls dreaming
My aunt Verna, with my rosy-cheeked mother, Letitia, dreaming of the beaux yet to arrive in their lives
Letitia as cricketer
My mother straps on
Grandma Evans
My adorable expatriate Yankee grammaw, photographed at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland.
Mum and Pop Evans
My Yankee grandparents, from Columbus, Ohio, who settled near Fremantle, Western Australia and raised a brood of happy children (Leederville, W.A.)
Brothers
Brother David (in chair), taken in the front yard at 6 Howick Street. That may well be me with my finger in my mouth, but I don't remember the shot being taken (!)
Mum and Dad
That's love!
The boy
Victor, at 3 years of age, taken in the very room, and around the same time, that he used to don the yellow dress and catch his magic carpet ride back home. It was the discovery of this photo, after my father's funeral, that triggered the chain of memories that has become 'The Boy in the Yellow Dress'.
1 comment:
Dear Mr Vic,
Yesterday on the ABC there was a program on Communism in Germany from some of the individual people who lived through it. One person; a past shot put Olympic Champion told their story which would seem to have particular relevance to your story. A young girl was selected by the politburo to work for her country and having trust in her advisors took pills purported to stop her becoming ill; and many other wonderful things besides; she said. Over time as she was quite young and androgynous looking to begin with, she noticed and we could see (in the images of her) a thickening of her features and widening of shoulders and reduction of breasts. I thought she looks masculine but then some athletes do look like this as they workout so fiercely. She commented herself that she had been at the time of being Chosen androgynous in other words her own body had not as yet decided whether to be male or female.
After taking the pills regularly for some years she was turned into a male without her consent. In fact she had no choice but to become a male totally later in life for which she seemed unhappy. She still said she felt like a girl inside. Perhaps if she understood you analogy of the "praying hands" it would alleviate her unhappiness at her enforced situation.
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