Benworden (6 page)

Carla “Hollywood” Deon was the other year 11 representative, and like Gerry and me there was a very special connection between Carla and Greg. They had built a close friendship as both had lost loved ones and found it easier to talk to someone who'd experienced a similar loss than to those that hadn't. She was born in Hollywood in the USA and was sent to live with her grandmother in Melbourne after her parents were tragically killed in a plane crash. Carla was an
attractive girl with auburn hair that flowed down her back to her waist. She kept it up in a bun when she was at school but would let it down in the evening when she was back at the boarding house. Carla had a small button nose with freckles in a group over the bridge of it. They say the one thing that never grows on a human is the eyes and yet I couldn't imagine her as a baby as she had the largest dark brown eyes I'd ever seen. Her mother was a make-up artist and her father was a special effects coordinator at a major Hollywood movie studio before they died.

Originally from Melbourne, Carla's mother had made a name for herself in the Australian film industry as one of the best make-up artists in the country, so she decided she would like to pursue her career further and left for the States. It wasn't long before her talents were recognised and she was soon snapped up by one of the major studios. Carla's parents fell in love after meeting on the set of a film. Her father was born in the US and rarely spoke about his family, except to say that his father had wanted him to go to college and become a surgeon like him, but when he chose to pursue a career in special effects his father disowned him. Carla's mother took her to the studio at every chance she could get so she could learn all about her trade. At the same time Carla would get to meet some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Even now many of them had remained in touch with her and sent her gifts for Christmas and birthdays; they would constantly ask if she would like to go over and stay in their holiday homes in Malibu, California or even Hawaii.

After her parents' death Carla withdrew into herself and no matter what her grandmother did to cheer her up it had very little effect. She then came up with the idea that if Carla was with people her own age it might help bring her out of her
shell. Her grandmother was a very wise woman and once Carla had become a member of our club and made a connection with Greg her whole persona began to change. We became like a second family to her.

It wasn't because we felt sorry for Carla that we made her a member – we could have just as easily made her feel part of a family at the boarding house. Carla had some amazing skills that she had learnt from her mother which initially brought her to our attention. Carla, like her mother, had a natural flair for applying make-up, and not just in the sense of helping someone look more beautiful: she could actually change the appearance of one person to look like another. I remember one day when Sparky and she decided to have a bit of fun with the rest of us. She had made a face mould of Mr Gowdy from a photo we had on the computer and placed it on Greg. Greg then took some clothes from our make-up and wardrobe room that matched the type worn by Mr Gowdy and marched into a club meeting and said, “Hello, what's going on here then?” Everyone turned their heads in astonishment and totally froze. I can tell you there were a few of us that had to change our clothes that day, especially Harry our computer whiz. Even with his very pale skin he looked as though someone had dipped him in a bucket of bleach.

7

H
ARRY,
B
ONNIE AND THE
S
NOOP

Harry “Healer” Chan was in year 10, yet the school had advanced him to year 11 maths and computer studies. Harry's real name was Delong, but like most Chinese students he changed his name to fit in and to save the issues around pronunciation. Harry was a great guy and was always the first to join in with anything going.

“Want to play footy, Harry?”

“Yes, why not?” he'd reply.

You never felt lonely while he was around. Harry had many talents: he was exceptional at maths, and was continually astounding us with his herbal remedies – not that we ever wanted to know what he put in them! – but most of all he had a talent for photography, shooting videos and editing film.

Harry came from the coastal province of Fu Jian, an area very famous for its tea which his family exported. His family, however, had a not-so-happy history with Australia after his great, great, great grandfather Fei Chan came here when gold was found in Ballarat in 1851. Fei and his family were very poor, so when he heard of the discovery and how many of his Chinese comrades had become quite wealthy while prospecting in Australia he decided that this was his opportunity to bring wealth and honour to his family. In January 1852 Fei packed his bags and headed off, leaving his wife and two children behind.

The people of Fei's village believed that he was a dreamer
and would never make anything of himself. They told him the only way to accumulate fortune was through hard work at home and that if he wasn't successful with his quest he would bring terrible dishonour to his family. But Fei enjoyed adventure and nothing could change his mind. He imagined himself returning with great wealth, all the time believing his family would never have to worry about money again.

When Fei reached Australia he wrote to his family constantly. The letters told of the hardships and how he had entered into a partnership with an Englishman. Together they had made enough money to buy an old abandoned mine. For once his luck had begun to change and Fei wrote how he and his partner had dug deeper and found a small vein of gold running through the mine and the further in they dug the larger the vein was growing.

Not long after this discovery the letters ceased. Fei's family thought that he had deserted them after striking it rich, and when the news spread throughout the province his family were ridiculed and dishonoured because of his actions.

After his father didn't return, Fei's son was teased throughout his school days and like his father the taunts made him more determined to bring honour to his family name. The Chinese government created powerful positions for those who showed exceptional promise intellectually and Fei's son was one of those students. He became one of the most influential men in his province and with his power came financial opportunity and gain.

He bought thousands of acres of land and grew and exported some of the finest tea the world has ever seen. All the people of the district bowed whenever he walked past but the whispers and rumours about his father never went away. The family's
sadness carried all the way down to Harry's parents.

Harry could cope with his own personal torments but he had trouble dealing with the emotional pain he saw his mother going through, so to escape these thoughts he was often seen with Bonnie in our monitoring room going over the previous day's recorded security tapes to see if there was anything that the club might be interested in.

Bonnie “Brain” Bartlett was our other year 10 club member. Whenever any of the younger kids had trouble with school work, Bonnie was always happy to help out, and this probably originated from her being raised in a large family where everyone was taught to help each other. It wasn't hard to tell that she had her mother's Italian blood running through her veins with her coal black hair and beautiful complexion, and although she wasn't overweight she had a stocky build. I guess the Italian characteristic that stood out most was her over-emphasised hand movements, particularly when she was frustrated with someone: she would hold her head with one hand while indicating her feelings with the other.

She had three older sisters and three younger brothers. Her mother Anna was born in Italy and her parents migrated to Australia when Anna was only four. Although Mrs Bartlett saw herself as a true blue Aussie there was no doubt that her wonderful Italian heritage had never left her.

Whenever visitors went to Bonnie's house they found her mother welcoming them at the door with sweeping hand motions beckoning them to enter and warmly welcoming them with her smile.

“Come in, come in. You look hungry. Let me get you something to eat,” she said. And as you took your first step into the house the aromatic smell of garlic and herbs such as
coriander and oregano pleasantly filled the air. Those fragrances would ignite your senses and entice you to the confines of the kitchen where you'd be held captive until you'd indulged on the aromas' source. Later you felt like doing nothing because you'd eaten so much you could barely move. As you can imagine, Bonnie's father was somewhat overweight, but who wouldn't be, given the same circumstances. His name was Edward, or Ted as he was affectionately called by Mrs Bartlett. Ted traced his family tree back to one of the first known convicts who had been brought to Australia from England for stealing a loaf of bread. Like Anna, he was proud of his heritage and saw himself as a true blue Aussie.

The family didn't have a lot of money. Mr Bartlett worked as a bricklayer while Mrs Bartlett had her hands full keeping the house running like a well-oiled machine. Money wasn't an issue when it came to getting by though: their home was built on happiness, encouragement and love and I don't think I have ever seen a family with so much warmth. All of the kids were treated as individuals and given every opportunity to excel wherever their interests lay.

Anna and Ted attended school functions and sports days, while sometimes going without and helping their kids any way they could to find their path in life. Through this sort of encouragement the kids felt comfortable applying themselves to their work because they wanted to, not because they were pushed to do so.

Bonnie was an exceptional student and her grades were flawless. Her parents applied to Benworden for a scholarship and it was given without hesitation. Bonnie specialised in computers and in year 10 there was very little she couldn't do with one. She was often asked to hack into Mr Gowdy's emails
to see what devious plans he had in store for the school or the club at any given moment.

Isabel Snippiton was one of the biggest concerns for our club. She was not only a student at the school but also a boarder and was always snooping around trying to get others in trouble. Isabel came from a very wealthy family. Her father was on the board of three very well-known organisations and her mother held charity fund-raisers which included afternoon teas with high-flyers and socialites. Isabel loved to put on airs and graces, and anyone who wasn't from what she called the “properly connected families” was viewed as an outcast in her eyes.

I'd heard that as her parents couldn't give her the time and love she so often longed for, they tried to make up for it with an allowance that would equal an average worker's weekly wage before expenses. June Snippiton, her mother, or “Mummy” as Isabel called her, told Isabel that she should earn her allowance. Her father, Jarvis Snippiton, (who was always flaunting his money but never spending any of it), didn't seem to care less about this as long as June left him alone. Apparently he just wanted to go his merry way being oblivious to everyone's needs except his own.

Mrs Snippiton was a tall blonde woman (Isabel told one of her friends she couldn't work out why because she had auburn hair and her father's hair was as black as night). June had an absolute passion for cats and her three very beautiful Siamese had won many prizes at the Royal Melbourne Show. Isabel detested the cats and always believed Mummy gave them more time and love than she gave her.

It was easy for Mrs Snippiton to see that her only child despised her treasures. She thought that if she got her daughter
to understand the cats then she too would connect with them. One day she told Isabel that if she wanted her allowance she needed to earn it by looking after her cats on the weekends when she was home from boarding. This would include grooming, walking and feeding them. She would also have to pay for them to have a spa bath once a month out of her own allowance and if she couldn't ensure this was done properly, she would lose her pocket money for two weeks.

We would often overhear Isabel say to anyone that would listen, “How dare she even contemplate taking away my allowance. It just won't do! Can you imagine me having to shop at a regular clothing store? I bloody well don't think so!”

Isabel detested the cats but she still needed the money so she would often pay one of the younger students to walk them for her. Of course her mother didn't know this: Isabel would tell her she was on her way to walk the little treasures but as soon as she was out of the house and around the corner she would hand them over to her employee while declaring, “Take these disgusting rodents before I get fleas!”

And then she'd take a stroll down the street and do some window shopping.

Both Isabel and Mr Gowdy had a lot in common; in fact much more than either of them knew. Isabel's passion for finding out what was going on at Benworden was even more obsessive than Mr Gowdy's, and both would stop at nothing to discover its secrets. It became so compulsive with Isabel that we had to put two of our club members on her case.