In 1971 I was in Form 3 at Box Hill high school. A boys only school that had a few years before had changed it's name from Box Hill Grammar. Not sure why but maybe because it had become just a little bit rougher. It was a bit of a grind and made worse because I was always the smallest in the year level. so I always got bottom locker. Which meant I was constantly stood on by the school skinhead fraternity. Mainly because my hair was growing half way down my back.
There was some respite from all this crap though when at lunchtimes a bunch of us would go to the music portable situated at the back of the school next to the train lines and Box Hill cemetery. Half the time it was playing records and talking rubbish but one day one of the students whose name escapes me starting banging out the opening piano bit of this record. I was mesmerized. It sounded so good. When he had finished we all begged him to play it again. Which he did about 10 times.
Later they formed a band. I wasn't in it. I was trying to learn drums and was proving hopeless banging away on my rubber matt. Soon gave it up through lack of co-ordination. Anyway it was just cool to hang out with the older kids rocking through Jumping Jack Flash. I got to go to their first gig in a friends backyard. They even built a stage. It was brilliant. Two days later I rode my bike down to Box Hill and found a music shop a few doors from my previous hangout, the slot car racing shop and bought a cheap electric guitar which came with a Corona amp. A good substitute for the tennis raquet I'd been using previously.
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