Currently, I am in the middle of composing my next novel.
The setting of the story
North Veere Beach, a Seaside country town in Australia 1n 1954.
North Veere is located around 200 miles North of Sydney and is surrounded by mountains to the west and the sea to the east.
The town was originally settled by Dutch migrants and thus the name Veere is a reminder of the town of Veere in Jutland
Several creeks run from the mountains to the sea south of the town.
In the middle of the town, there is a movie theatre, three cafes, two hotels, and 3 churches (Church of England, Methodist and Roman Catholic.) The town also has 2 primary schools (1 public (state-run) and a catholic school.
The nearest other secondary school (Muddily Technical School) is thirty miles to the south.
The high school draws pupils from the surrounding areas, and they generally ride their bikes to school.
The theory at the time was that High schools were for those with academic traits while technical (Tech) schools cater to those who use their hand more. In fact, the clear distinction is rubbish as most students don’t show their traits until they are around sixteen or so while they make their decision on the type of education they are best suited for at the age of 12 (end of year six (Grade 6).
Many high school students seem to think that Tech school kids are inferior.
Three best friends who all attend North Veere Beach High School show interest in a group of boys from school. The girls as well as the boys are all in year 10 (form 4) although they do not all study the same subjects.
The girls belong to the North Veere Beach marching team.
There are six separate teams ranging from preschool right up to young adults.
The teams march to recorded music although for competitions they march to live bands.
There are usually 3 competitions per year (area teams from a sixty-mile radius) District Teams from Districts north of Newcastle) and state competition (teams from all regions).
The Principal Characters
The Girls
Betty Johnston is a sixteen-year-old girl.
She has an older sister (Joan 18) and a young brother (Fred 13)
Her father (John) is the bank branch manager, and her mother (Lizzy) is involved with the flower club.
Allison Brown is slightly older than Betty.
She is an only child.
Her father (Bill) works on the railway and her mother (Jill) is Lizzy’s best friend of Lizzy.
Edna Williams is slightly younger than the other girls.
She is the eldest of 5 girls (Sue-Ann, Melody, Rose, and baby Freda)
George is her twin brother.
Her other brother (Jack) is at university.
Her father (Thomas) is the sports teacher at North Veere Beach High and is the marching team coach.
Her mother Margaret) is a former state marching girl champion and now serves as chaperone for the Nort Beach Marching Girl team.
Chanelle Martino is the daughter of newly arrived immigrants, Sophia, and Louie Martino. Chantelle is their only daughter but she has a younger brother Ricardo.
Chantelle is enrolled in the same class as Betty, Allison, and Edna.
The immigration officer found Louie a position at the South Veere bakery.
Chantelle learned to speak English at school in Italy however, she is the only one in her family who speaks English fluently.
Dorothy (Dot) Watson is a loner. She only mixes with a group of girls who could be described as rough. Although only 16 she has been in trouble several times with the law due to her underage drinking. She is the girlfriend of Richard (Dick) Swanson
Her mother was killed in a tragic accident several years ago and she is raised by her single dad who also has a drinking problem. Her father is a gardener for the council.
The Boys
Bruce Thomas. A sixteen-year-old who is a keen surfer. He plays Australian Rules football in winter and is a keen cricketer during summer.
Bruce hopes to be an Air Force pilot when he leaves school but is wary of the need for university qualifications. Although an above-average student, he is not blessed with the high level of self-discipline that is needed to study.
Bruce is an only child, and his mother (Julie) is a widow who works at the same bank where John is the manager.
Charlie Richards is also sixteen and a keen surfer like Bruce. He is not as athletic as Bruce but still manages to play cricket during summer (when not surfing)
Charlie, however, is also a keen beach fisherman and always reminds everyone about the time he caught a six-foot tiger shark from the beach.
Charlie has two younger sisters. (Rhonda and Madeline)
His father is a truck driver working for the local flour mill delivering to customers within a hundred-mile radius of North Veere Beach. This means that at times he is away overnight.
Flo (Charlie’s mother) is a devoted housewife who always manages to get involved in many activities. She is the head of the Parents and Citizens at the school as well as a keen assistant chaperone of the marching girls’ team.
George Williams (Edna’s twin brother.) He is devoted to his younger sisters although he often disagrees with Edna.
George plays Australian Rules football and is on the same team as Bruce. He finds cricket boring but loves to get away by himself and fish in the creeks that run into the sea just south of the town.
He often comments that his mother pays too much time to the marching team although he secretly loves watching the senior girl’s march.
George has no idea of what he would like to do when he leaves school.
Richard Swanson Richard is Dot’s boyfriend. Richard is 18 years old and works for the council on road repairs. He is from a broken home. His father left after he was arrested for assaulting Dick’s mother. Dick as a 12year old witnessed the beating and has resented his father ever since. He has only seen him once in the last five years.
His mother works part-time at the movie theatre and has difficulty making ends meet. Although his girlfriend, Dot, has had some problems with drink, Dick is opposed to drinking as he saw what it did to his family.
Gordon Smith Story Teller 