Charley Steidl - by Nigel A JAMES
More Than a Big Grey
Elephant
Farewells
belong to the way that life is. And, sometimes these points in our
lives are best understood when viewed through the distance of years.
And this is how Charley Steidl remembers a day from long, long ago.
It was 1939.
It was late summer, it was hot, and Charlie was still only three.
And, so strong and so deep did this day impress Charley, that it
still swims on on the top of his thinking.
Because of
the fine weather, his family had decided to spend the day at the
Viennese Prata, an amusement park just close to the centre of town.
Rides, swings and roundabouts, a wonderful treat for the kids! And
it was fun. Charley even won an inflatable elephant. He was happy,
his world was perfect! But, this day was not only for rides! Eating,
instead, was top of the list!
Lunch was
spent at Emminger's, a restaurant very close to the Prata. Charley
remembers that the meal was good, but he no longer recalls that
which he had. After finishing lunch, the party then moved onto
another nearby eatery, the Hauswirt, for afternoon coffee and cakes,
and then, with the coming of evening, Charley's father ordered roast
goose. The fun and the eating then carried on until late.
And, of
course, it was much later in life that Charley realized the meaning
of all of this eating. His family weren't being greedy, they were
simply bidding farewell to the good times of plenty! And they were
right! Within just a very short time, the dark clouds of wanting had
darkened the world. The world was at war! All that was good was
falling apart. The sun was not to come back for a very long time!
