The rainbow never sets

George. Alison had an easier birth, and she was very happy to have a second child. Although we had chosen a name for a girl also, we both felt that it was going to be a boy again. We hoped that bringing up two boys so close together would make things somewhat easier, and we hoped also that they would become good playmates, as I had been with Günter growing up.

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Vater and Mutter, Christmas 1960

On Christmas Eve of 1960 family and friends gathered as usual at our place to celebrate Christmas. Right from the beginning we favoured celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve in German tradition, however dinner was strictly according to English custom. At dinner time three of us mentioned that we wanted to do some further studies in 1961, Gerda, Rainer, my former house mate, and I. As it turned out, only Gerda stuck to her plan and achieved her goal. I started studying Biology and Maths at University of NSW on a part time basis in the evenings. The Univeristy accepted my German 1947 Leaving Certificate only under the proviso that I pass two subjects in the first year. As I had always enjoyed maths and been good at it, I thought it would be a breeze, but it was not so. I failed the end-of-year exams in Maths, after a post (second chance), but passed Biology. This meant that I had to give up studying for a science degree.

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