The Sea in our Veins!
Rockley Beach - My Childhood Playground
Today is the 12th Dec, 2019 – the last full moon of the decade and my 68th birthday! I don't know how time has flown so fast as I still feel like I'm about 19 or 20.
It gives me a chance to reflect on where I came from and where I'm going and I've decided it's time to start recording some of my history - I have a bunch of images sitting in photo albums and my photography files and like the tree that falls in the forest – if no one sees it or hears the stories did it really happen?

Rockley Beach, Christ Church parish - the place I lived from 1955 to 1965 - watched the roof of Torrington Guest House (in the far right distance in the top image) fly off into the sea during Hurricane Janet in Sept 1955!
Walked down this beach with Chris and Geoffrey Kieffer to go to school at Mrs. Smith's Primary School.
Going down to the swimming hole at the Hotel Royal and stopping in at Aunt Dos Brown's - getting juk with a nasty cobbler, Lois breaking her pinkie after slipping on the mossy steps at the Royal - ouch!
Skin diving for shells and sea fans, cruising along the coast in Peewee with John at the helm with the Seagull outboard and David and John-Mike Peterkin in their flat bottom dingy.

Belly boarding on plywood and learning to stand-up surf on the red board that John built during easter holidays 1965
Memories of tree houses in the almond trees and almond battles with the Kieffers and Donald and Carlos Duncan; the beach boys hanging out - Erskine the ace fisherman and waterman of the area, going fishing sea eggs with David Peterkin and collecting huge bags for later cleaning.
Watching a huge sea turtle laying her eggs one night and the baby sea turtles hatching and running for the sea; moon light beach walks with my Mum on many a night.
Guy Fawlkes Night - Nov 5th - bon fires on the beach and burnt toes from sinking into soft roasting sand too close to the fire – running to be first to get the sticks falling from the rockets; man-o-war stings from small and large.
It sure was a fantastic place to grow up!
Mrs. DAY’S guest house in the 70s Torrington, I dated her youngest daughter, Michelle. She had three daughters, BOBBY KIRSTEN AND MICHELLE. We also had an Austin Cambridge ,looked like that old car in photo .
Torrington! At 3 yrs old we watched it’s roof blow off into the sea during Janet! The wind was from the North so we had our south facing window open (helped to keep a lower pressure inside and the roof where it belonged!) Luckily it was low tide and also the wind was blowing the tops of the waves off so that kept the sea out of our living room – the white water (probably about 2 ft so not bad) was hitting the small limestone wall 12 feet in front of the house and then washing up against the wall of the house! Red crabs and swampies sheltered on the gallery and in the house.
I remember Bobby – think she was going out with Buff Edghill at one point – definitely a beautiful girl.
So Bimshiretours – whats your name and I’ll check my memory and see if I can find you!
Hey I went to miss smith , and I too made plywood surf boards to stand on in 65 in Cattlewash !Kwow all the people you talking bout pun here to ! lOL Can remember you too at ACCRA Beach .
Hey Bimshire – thanks for the comment – What a great time to grow up!
Craig, I found the sight and am loving the pictures, history lesson and
People of this past time and place
As usual well done
Diane Wilson
Realtor
Hi Diane, Nice seeing you at the picnic! Glad you’re enjoying the pics – I’m writing the early days on the beach after this intro – need to get some input from my brother so he can fill in some details – he built the first ‘stand-up’ surfboard in Barbados in 1964 – so he was it at the beginning. Also working on the Sugar Hill stuff – mainly from my final project at college which I shot in 1971-2 – am in touch with a few of the kids from the photos – that’s the exciting part!