The family call this the ‘Rose room’ for the rose motif on the furnishings. Del is five years older than Dawn and theirs is a normal sibling relationship – friends one moment, maybe not the next. For some unknown reason, Del is called ‘Bill’ by the family. She’s sunny and neat and tidy. She can play the piano, knit, turn the heel of a sock, win prizes at school and cups for swimming. Del plays little mother to Dawn, protective, and sometimes a bit bossy.

Del is head prefect at Canberra Girls Grammar and enjoys a busy social life at parties, dances and picnics attended by young Duntroon cadets. Sometimes her parents think she spends too much time socialising and not enough time studying.

Del and I love to play school. She is always the teacher and shows me how to make designs with a compass or how to stencil a gum leaf on tissue paper with a watercolour and comb.

We love playing games together – noughts and crosses, boxes, Ludo and Adventure around Sydney. She usually wins. We make scrap books, dress the cat in doll’s clothes and make tents on our beds.