the history of rich & barb

I've been asked to recall the early days of Barbara and I, before the details are lost in the growing billows of fog in my memory.

It was a sunny summer day in Sydney and I was job hunting. I had walked the city streets for a few hours and had no luck. I decided I'd earned a break so I stopped off at a bar for a beer. The first stop led to many other stops, and 1 beer quickly multiplied to 8 or 9. By mid-afternoon I found myself on Oxford street. It was hot, I was thirsty, and needed to empty the bladder. I passed by a place called the Kinselas Hotel and I decided to go in for one last beer for the afternoon. That's where I met Barbara.

I went straight to the bar and ordered a schooner of Victoria Bitter (known as VB). Barbara was working behind the bar and served me the beer. Her pour was graceful and practiced. I caught her eye as the golden liquid filled my glass and we ended up talking for the rest of her shift; about life, love, and anything and everything else. We even shared a few covert shots of Tequila. Before long, Barbara’s shift was over and we were both sitting at the end of the bar with some of the other bar staff. We had a lot to drink that afternoon and night, but it was only the beginning. The next thing I knew it was morning and I was back at my hostel. It's all a bit of a blur how that happened really… but there in my pocket was her number; history had begun to be made.

Over the next few weeks we saw each other a few times, both at the Kinselas and other venues. I was invited to a party at Barbara’s house for the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade It was perfect since her house was directly on the parade route. It was a great night: lots of drinking and dancing, great fun for all. And it was decided that night that I would be the newest addition to the house of misfits at 70 Flinders St.

After moving in, the next 3 months or so are a bit of a blur. I managed to hold onto a job, which was a miracle considering all the partying that we were doing. We became addicted to kebabs, sometimes only knowing we had eaten one by the evidence left on the floor that we would discover the next morning. Vodka-tonics, dirty martinis, and Cask wine became our staples. And being a doctor, the amount of prescriptions that I was writing for the both of us spiked right through the roof. Anything and everything we could get our hands on, I would write it out. It was during this period that the strike was born, and so was our dear daughter Alice.

During the months that followed, we had fun. At one point I left Sydney for a month on my own to explore the rest of the country. When we re-united we partied twice as hard to make up for lost time. But, as neither of us were residents of Australia, it was inevitable that we would eventually have to go our separate ways. My practice back in Canada needed me so I had to make an early departure. All good things must end…

As of right now we are still separated, this time by several million square kilometers of land and sea. But I fear not; it is Barbara’s turn to travel and I know that my wife will soon be returning home so we can begin many new adventures and a new chapter in the life and times of Dr. Richard and Barbara Stoodwall.

Dr. Richard Stoodwall
April, 2006
[dictated, but not read]

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