This is a very rare picture of my mother’s four sons. Her name was Bettine Barnes, hence the title. Bettine married twice, firstly to my to-be dad Reg Stacey who she met and married while he was serving in the UK during the Second World War as a RAAF bomber pilot. Her second marriage was to Stewart Bainbridge in New Zealand and with whom she had three sons, Sean, Adam and Nigel.

The picture shows, from left to right, back row, Michael and Sean, front row, Adam and Nigel. Coincidentally that also happens to be the order of birth as well which is a little strange to say given we are all over fifty. Continue reading →

I love you.

I also love being your Dad.  It is the proudest achievement of my life.  Nothing I have done before or may do in the future, can surpass being part of the creation of the two wonderful human beings who are Aaron Francis and Joshua David.  I also treasure the relationship that has developed between us as adults and which is equally attributable to the three of us.  It is rare and priceless.

I wonder however if my father, Reginald Francis, could rightly lay claim to that title, “Dad”, or to the same feeling of pride that I have articulated above.  Through the work, I am doing on my mastery and service course I have come to a fuller realisation of how selfish my father was.  How little affection and respect he was able to give me throughout the course of my early life when so much depended on that.   Here are some of the recollections and details that I doubt you are aware of and which has only just resurfaced for me. Continue reading →