And Now For Something Completely Different

Jane
Hey Jay,
I was a waitress at ANFSCD in the late 70's when Simon Brink was co-owner and manager. What a great site you have set up. I thought I would contribute a memory or two. In the ladies toilet a poem was written on the inside door of one of the loos. The thing is that now, 30 years later I can still recall that poem... here goes...

There was a boy whose name was jim
his friends were very fond of him.
They gave him tea and cakes and jam
and slices of delicious ham.
They read him stories through and through
and even took him to the zoo.
Now here it was the dreadful fate befell him
which I now relate.
You know, at least you ought to know,
for I have often told you so,
that children never are allowed to leave their nurses in a crowd.
Now this was Jim's especial foible
he ran away when he was able,
and on this inauspicious day he slipped his hand
and ran away.
He hadn't gone a yard when bang
with open jaws a lion sprang
and hungrily began to eat
the boy, beginning with his feet.
Now just imagine how it feels
when first your toes, and then your heels,
and then by gradual degrees,
your ankles, calves, shins and knees
are slowly eaten bit by bit.
No wonder Jim detested it
No wonder that he shouted HI
the honest keeper heard his cry
though very fat he almost ran
to help the little gentleman.........to be cont.

But it never was [continued] that I know of
and though I have since heard the rest of it... it still ends there in my memory.

Another memory I have is of arriving early some arvo's and climbing the stairs to the top where despite the bright sunshine outside not a single ray penetrated causing one to become totally disorientated and vertigo to play terrible tricks, especially if ones mind was a little unsteady from over indulgence.

Could be I'll remember something else but I don't think I have any photos as I didn't own a camera.

Jay
There was a chef named John Goss who worked there for a short while. I believe he had a difficult upbringing and he sometimes got quite depressed. In one of our late night Tequila raves (through to sunrise) he shared some free-form writing (prose) that he had written about himself:

"21, and I feel like 100, look like 50, can't find out what it was or even look, because it's out of my reach now. Look back, try to find my life and realise the broken pieces won't fit no more. A time I knew once, was a special high, things were real, touchable and easy to handle. Things sure got shitty." John Goss circa 1978.

I had completely forgotten this until recently while moving I found an old folder of writings. Coincidentally, his words had been typed on the back of the bottom of a Lunchtimes promotional flyer for the restaurant. So this was a double find!