My Story Until Now

I originate from a small town in Australia, called Ourimbah.
Ourimbah is in New South Wales, just one and a half hours north of Sydney.
Ourimbah has a population of around 800 people. It is just one of many towns
that make up the Central Coast Region.

I grew up, went to school in this country town. I saw it change from a relatively
small village to a rapidly expanding town. I say rapidly expanding and I should
explain that although the population is still small any increase change is a dramatic change.
When I was a young lad (say 1976) the town would have been around 300 people. Twenty three years later
it has more than doubled.

It used to be a town where everyone knew everybody else. Parents new other kids
Other kids knew other parents (I'm not talking about interbreeding). "Hey isn't that Jack Sprats son over there
he sure looks like his dad. I remember when he was just a rug rat, we used to call him Saber tooth because he
loved to bite people, he sure has shot up fast".

I was well known for being three people. First I was "GEORGE BREWSTER'S YOUNGEST",
then I was "NICK BREWSTER'S YOUNGER BROTHER" ( my brother being a sport fanatic and
always did things before I was allowed to, like ride a bike, play football, go to school, breath
enough individually to earn the rite to be called by my original name.

Now you might think what does it take to earn the rite to be called by your original name.
Well sit and think and I'll get back to you on that.
Let me think now (as I recline back in my rather uncomfortable chair, you know
how impossible it is to put a sofa in front of the computer, logistics wise its almost
impossible and the people who want to watch the TV put up a hell of a fight).
My name is nothing special Matt or Matthew. There hasn't been many extremely
famous people who share this name (except the godly one and I'm no saint).
There seems to be no competition, you see, there was nobody you could confuse
me with. I'll give you an example, John, every Tom Dick and Harry, is called
John and then you have the well known Johns to compete with like John Wayne,
John Kennedy, John Travolta (stiff competition hey well at least two of them already are).

So competition was no problem and I have only known about 5 other Matthews in my
whole lifetime. I think this name business is a sort of an honor system where you have
to succeed before people will recognise you as an individual. Now in this Australian
society that we lived in, and I believe it is still continuing, for a young man to make a
name for himself (young I mean 8 years old until around 16) he either had to conquer the
green field i.e. cricket field, rugby field, rugby league field. You had to better your elder
brothers feats or at least equal. I had no chance against a brother who could rip his fingers
down the seam for an awesome googly, back breaking offspin and a wrongin that that was
so unpickable that most people saw it as a rightin but they were wrongin. (cricket jargon I think)
then go in for a quick fifty before lunch. (in his dreams he was never a good batter).

On the rugby league field he was quick and nimble and had a keen head for tactics.
Small for his size he made up for it with speed. I was not really interested in rugby league
where the main idea is to be tackled with the ball a bit of a waste of time and resulting bodily damage.
This is a problem when the only sport your town played in Winter was rugby league and the only
winter sport that your state plays well is Rugby (Union as well as League).
Tennis is OK as a hobby, Golf also as a past time but the real sport is RUGBY.
You have a choice of Rugby Union or Rugby League and also you have a choice of
Rugby Union or Rugby League and if you are looking for another option you could choose
Rugby Union or Rugby League. Oh have I missed out Soccer, well soccer wasn't considered
a mans game (too woosy).

I chose soccer and I played as best I could, no star but also no
failure. NOT GOOD ENOUGH for to those who new me as
"GEORGE BREWSTER'S YOUNGEST" or "NICK BREWSTER'S YOUNGER BROTHER".
You see my father was the Headmaster of the local school and the connection was made
and it stuck "GEORGE BREWSTER'S YOUNGEST". I think it would have been simple
for the coach to yell out from the sideline "kick the ball up the field Matt" but in reality
"kick the ball up the field GEORGE BREWSTER'S YOUNGEST" (or Young George).
I suffered this, no I cant say I suffered because I didn't realise it at the time it was normal
I was used to people calling me by any other name ( my brother and sisters had more down
to earth basically critical names for me which I will not mention).

It started dawning on me by the early years of High school that I had an identity crisis. I learnt
the phrase in one of my classes (thankyou to that teacher who help me realise I had a problem
that I previously never knew of) Vocabulary learning can sure be dangerous (ignorance is bliss).

I found the Solution to be Australian Rules Football
(aerial ping pong as it is known by the unconverted).
(to be continued)