Earthquake hits Adelaide, South Australia.

One of the more memorable times of my young life was 'the earthquake'.

At the time my mother and I shared the 'back bedroom' (aka the maid's room and later my bedroom - the one with the Beatles stuck on the mirror of the built-in robes!) :)

I woke up, the light was on, it was VERY dark outside and Mum was sitting up in bed. The old wooden 'slash' window was shaking and rattling. I asked Mum what it was. I remember distinctly her telling me "It's only a train, go back to sleep." Indeed, trains, at that time, ran on a line in the street (east side) of the back street (Military Road), so I trusted what she said. I was around 5 years old.

However, found out the next day it was an earthquake. The newspaper from that time says that few houses damaged. But we had cracks I think, that weren't there before. But not sure.

Many years later I was out of school early to go to the dentist and was sitting on the concrete porch of my Aunt's house on Military Road in Henley Beach. I felt a rumbling, I looked around for a truck, but there was none. Odd.

Later that evening someone from the newspaper (Advertiser) knocked on our door to ask if anyone felt the earthquake. So I recounted my story. He also went next door to 538 Seaview Road. The lady there also gave her account of feeling shaking and dust flying around in her hallway. The article appeared on the front page the next day.

I regretted it a bit, as noone at Henley High School felt the earthquake, and I was called 'seisemigraph' (however you spell it!!! :) ) for ages afterwards.

The first was year 1954. I think the second was somewhere in 1961-3.