My life consisted of school and home on the farm, doing chores like feeding the chooks, peeling the potatoes, helping out with cleaning etc. Nothing special - just ordinary everyday stuff.
We rarely went anywhere - other than the occasional trip to the beach where we sometimes over-nighted at a little house owned by my Grandad. Until I was 17 years old, I had never been further than 100km from home.
Since then, I've been over most of Australia and travelled overseas many times - been to Malaysia, New Zealand and America several times each, and to London, Paris, Canada, Alaska, Barcelona, Singapore, Thailand, Fiji, Vanuatu, and even to Turkey which included the most amazing day in Troy and Gallipoli - a day that will forever be emblazoned in my memory.
My parents were clean-living, hard-working and very humble people. We were taught not to blow our own trumpet - in fact, we were encouraged to talk ourselves down, not up, and certainly never to step out of our place and talk to anyone famous or even note-worthy.
So tonight, here I was - little me from the country - at a fundraiser for a medical research institute, seated in a lovely intimate setting with about 600 other people, one of whom was the current Prime Minister of Australia. He wasn't the only dignitary. The Dutch Ambassador was there too, as well as lots of well known people. During the speeches, my husband's name was mentioned. I doubt he will stop smiling any time soon [how often do you get a mention in front of the PM?]. Shortly after the formalities, the PM started to leave - as PM's do, because they are busy people, and he needed to be elsewhere. He walked past our table, and out to the foyer. A couple of people stopped him there for a photo and that's when it happened.Little me, the girl from the country, the one who had been taught from birth to stay quietly in the background and NEVER to push herself forward, grabbed her husband's hand, and said "Let's go get a photo!"
So we did!
We had to line up, and the minders said it would have to be quick. I asked if they would take the photo or if I should do a selfie - they said, "selfie is the go!" So, I took a selfie with the Prime Minister. Then I called my husband to have one with us too - so I have a selfie with hubby, myself and the PM too. He was so gracious, very polite, shook my husband's hand, and smiled his lopsided smile while I snapped away!
What a moment! Who would have believed I would even be in the same room with the Prime Minister, let alone get a photo with him? It was an incredibly surreal experience.
After he left and the proceedings had completed, we walked over the road to get a cab, chatting with the Dutch Ambassador, just as you would with anyone else!
And you know what was really the biggest thing I got out of it all?
The biggest thing I got out of it, was that they are people just like me, having a human experience, just like me, and I bet that they have moments where they cannot believe the surreal-ness of meeting someone either! I bet they think to themselves as I did, "Imagine that! Little old me, meeting them....Incredible!"
