From early in the morning the people had begun to arrive for the big event; they arrived by car, bike, scooter and shank’s pony. By nine-thirty the town was heaving. They came to the beaches, the sea wall (well, the parts that were open), the hillsides and every house that has a sea view, which includes ours. Family and friends steadily filled San Remo Terrace – we nearly all had parties – and strangers with picnics filled the areas of grass below us; one family even occupied our old table and benches by the barbecue on the terrace common ground.

Sadly, one person who would have loved to see the air show couldn’t be with us; our friend Roland was high up in the air himself… well on his way to Brisbane.