| Commentary and Philosophy Non-Fiction posted January 15, 2020 | Chapters: |
...64 65 -66- 67... 
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How It Could Have Changed Our Lives.
A chapter in the book Geoffrey's Musings.
The Granville Train Crash.
by Sankey
Every time I go under the Granville railway overpass on my now, more recently, frequent train travels, I am caused to think of what a change could have been brought in my life if my sweetheart of more than 34 years (32 plus of those, married) had not at the time been on school holidays on this particular day of New South Wales history.
Louise has suffered Cerebral Palsy from birth. Due to her disability, she was transported to school for many years by taxi. While she lived in West Ryde and later Eastwood, northwestern suburbs of Sydney, she attended Canleyvale High School outside the local area in which she was living. The reason she had to travel so far to school was the provision of a special "Opportunity Deaf" class at that school. Our hearing impairment would be the reason we would meet eight years after the train crash.
Every school day, at precisely the same time as the train crash occurred, Louise, in her taxi, crossed over the Granville railway bridge. I will always be thankful, as she was, too, the accident happened on a school break.
At that time Neville Wran was Premier of New South Wales. He was known as "gravel voice" a moniker he acquired from his propensity of shouting in the Parliament. Maybe even in the law courts before as a lawyer. He may have had some permanent malady with his larynx. Some years before he was a visiting speaker at the Macquarie University where I worked at the time. I saw him that day in the W5A building theatre, just around the corner from my office.
The Granville train crash occurred on the 18th January 1977, fortunately during school holidays. Schools are out for six weeks in Australia from just before Christmas.
Later in the same year as the crash, I was to become a part of a church in the outer Western suburbs of Sydney. I learned that a couple of the men from that church had been passengers on the train, going to work, that morning. They were survivors and actually took part in assisting the injured in the crash. Ivan and John were both awarded medals by the Government for their assistance that day.
There had been criticism of the Granville bridge's condition, for some time prior to this dreadful crash.
Every time I go under the Granville railway overpass on my now, more recently, frequent train travels, I am caused to think of what a change could have been brought in my life if my sweetheart of more than 34 years (32 plus of those, married) had not at the time been on school holidays on this particular day of New South Wales history.
Louise has suffered Cerebral Palsy from birth. Due to her disability, she was transported to school for many years by taxi. While she lived in West Ryde and later Eastwood, northwestern suburbs of Sydney, she attended Canleyvale High School outside the local area in which she was living. The reason she had to travel so far to school was the provision of a special "Opportunity Deaf" class at that school. Our hearing impairment would be the reason we would meet eight years after the train crash.
Every school day, at precisely the same time as the train crash occurred, Louise, in her taxi, crossed over the Granville railway bridge. I will always be thankful, as she was, too, the accident happened on a school break.
At that time Neville Wran was Premier of New South Wales. He was known as "gravel voice" a moniker he acquired from his propensity of shouting in the Parliament. Maybe even in the law courts before as a lawyer. He may have had some permanent malady with his larynx. Some years before he was a visiting speaker at the Macquarie University where I worked at the time. I saw him that day in the W5A building theatre, just around the corner from my office.
The Granville train crash occurred on the 18th January 1977, fortunately during school holidays. Schools are out for six weeks in Australia from just before Christmas.
Later in the same year as the crash, I was to become a part of a church in the outer Western suburbs of Sydney. I learned that a couple of the men from that church had been passengers on the train, going to work, that morning. They were survivors and actually took part in assisting the injured in the crash. Ivan and John were both awarded medals by the Government for their assistance that day.
There had been criticism of the Granville bridge's condition, for some time prior to this dreadful crash.
Louise has suffered Cerebral Palsy from birth. Due to her disability, she was transported to school for many years by taxi. While she lived in West Ryde and later Eastwood, northwestern suburbs of Sydney, she attended Canleyvale High School outside the local area in which she was living. The reason she had to travel so far to school was the provision of a special "Opportunity Deaf" class at that school. Our hearing impairment would be the reason we would meet eight years after the train crash.
Every school day, at precisely the same time as the train crash occurred, Louise, in her taxi, crossed over the Granville railway bridge. I will always be thankful, as she was, too, the accident happened on a school break.
At that time Neville Wran was Premier of New South Wales. He was known as "gravel voice" a moniker he acquired from his propensity of shouting in the Parliament. Maybe even in the law courts before as a lawyer. He may have had some permanent malady with his larynx. Some years before he was a visiting speaker at the Macquarie University where I worked at the time. I saw him that day in the W5A building theatre, just around the corner from my office.
The Granville train crash occurred on the 18th January 1977, fortunately during school holidays. Schools are out for six weeks in Australia from just before Christmas.
Later in the same year as the crash, I was to become a part of a church in the outer Western suburbs of Sydney. I learned that a couple of the men from that church had been passengers on the train, going to work, that morning. They were survivors and actually took part in assisting the injured in the crash. Ivan and John were both awarded medals by the Government for their assistance that day.
There had been criticism of the Granville bridge's condition, for some time prior to this dreadful crash.
 Recognized |
Photos of the Granville train crash from some books of the time. Another photo (coloured one) of the skeleton of the electric locomotive involved in the crash. Neville Wran was the state Premier from 1976 to 1986.
Links below to articles on the Premier and about the train crash.
For those of you new to my writings you can read more about Louise and me in my autobiography "The Little Dog That Wouldn't Let Go." -subtitled "God Never Lets Go." Here is a Link to the start.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Links below to articles on the Premier and about the train crash.
For those of you new to my writings you can read more about Louise and me in my autobiography "The Little Dog That Wouldn't Let Go." -subtitled "God Never Lets Go." Here is a Link to the start.
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