Craig Lawton's Blog » family

My grandad in police pursuit

Craig Lawton — Sun, 29 May 2011 03:35:23 +0000

My grandad used to drive a purple Holden Statesman. When I was a child I remember on trips he would always drive 10 km/hr faster than the highway limit (which I tend to do now). Later is his life though he took to driving at a more leisurely pace. He’d be wearing his brown corduroy hat, Nana would put on an Irish folk cassette, and they would cruise. He was probably conscious now of his slower reflexes, but I always wanted him to hurry up.

Men's Vintage Hats

There’s a funny story regarding his purple Statesman. One day in the pouring rain he was driving back from the west of Melbourne on the Westgate freeway near Southgate. He was cruising in the right lane well below the speed limit. A sedan sped up and closed right behind him. It started flashing its headlights, and as grandad explained later that it looked like it had Christmas tree lights on. He thought someone was playing a prank.

And that’s the way it went for kilometres. My grandad in the fast lane, going slow, in the pouring rain, being pursued by an unmarked police car.

It’s always since been a matter of curiousity to me. If an unmarked police car is trying to pull you over, can you ignore it, and claim later that you didn’t recognise it as being a police car because it was unmarked. I probably can’t use that defence anymore, but I hope somebody tries it for me!

Eventually grandad figured it out and pulled over. The policeman was very frustrated. Tough luck copper! He probably realised he’d pulled over a lovely, old, yet slightly confused couple, and he’d look more of a tool if he booked them! Go grandad….

Marysville, bikies and coffee

Craig Lawton — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:19:44 +0000

Since the bushfires devastated Marysville earlier this year I’d been keen to visit. We were up there last July staying in a mate’s place, and Anna’s relatives had lived and run a shop there. We’d been to Marysville many times.

(Also, I was interested to see what a bushfire could do, having been a protected suburbanite all my life.)

When we arrived, the place was buzzing, or at least rumbling. Bikies everywhere! There’s a great ride through those hills I hear.

The bakery cafe is still intact and open, and a little cafe up the road has set up on the nature strip, so I had a choice when it came to coffee! The main street has been otherwise cleared, the rubble removed.

Going up a side street the remains of houses still lie waiting. There are green shoots. The destructive force has left. There is an indifference in the landscape. I don’t feel shocked?

I imagine the commerce of the town will get back on its feet quickly. Portables will be brought in for the ski season. Accommodation will be tight; people will daytrip from the city instead. But you’ll get a decent coffee, maybe even some booze by then. You’ll get ski-hire, and some pottery.

But I wonder if the people who lived in the rubble away from main street will be back. Perhaps this is the Marysville visitors didn’t know. The people who lived in a little slice of heaven.

As you ride back through the Black Spur, there are blackened areas, slightly blackened areas, and completely untouched, green areas. You wonder at a force, that on its day forced a wide front of fire by fluke of timing and wind changes through a small township and valley, wiping the township out as though it were a fleck of dust on an old roadmap.

Apollo Bay

Craig Lawton — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:03:23 +0000

Down the coast with the family so I thought I’d try a blog from the new phone!

My bro in NYC and his new film!!!

Craig Lawton — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:43:41 +0000

Occasionally people ask me what the glamorous Lawton has been up to in NYC. He’s been a busy beaver. Pier’s End Productions – a film company he started with some colleagues – has just financed and produced its first film, titled “Wake”. It’s been 3 years in the making. Check out the web site. Stay tuned for details on how to see it…

Hunter J O’Neill

Craig Lawton — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:16:59 +0000

S7300039

Originally uploaded by lawton_craig
First day in the world (my first niece!). Born 17/11/2007, weighing 8 pound 3, to Jay and Kim

Update: For those who don’t know, Jay is my brother-in-law. I’m his sister’s husband.

Jack Cooper Lawton

Craig Lawton — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 13:35:23 +0000

…born 14th July (Bastille Day) 2006, weighing 9 pounds 1, to Rohan and Michelle.
Mother and baby doing well. Click on thumbnail to see gallery. Another nephew for me, but the first on my side of the family. It makes an uncle out of my brothers Darren and Andrew and a father out of brother Rohan.

Some photos from Xmas and NYE

Craig Lawton — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:20:01 +0000

I thought to put some photos up from the Xmas and New Years period, to share with them fams!

Off to Sydney Harbour for a Wedding – Adam and Felicity’s special day

Craig Lawton — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 23:26:39 +0000

AdamFelicityWedding It seems my site, which I had only vague intentions for at the beginning, has become a blog for “other peoples weddings”. This weekend Anna and I flew up to Sydney for Adam and Felicitys’ Wedding. It was held on a catamaran on the Harbour. It was most surreal and hauntingly beautiful night as we drank and danced floating across the still waters and caught up with old friends and family. Truly memorable! I’ve put up a gallery of my shots from the event. Enjoy!

Mother gets hitched

Craig Lawton — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 22:30:14 +0000

I’ve uploaded some photos from my mother’s recent wedding. Some of the thumbnails are broken. Well it’s free software, so who am I going to complain too? The full size images work when you click on the broken thumbnail though or even better try the slideshow. Well hey that’s broken too…. I give up… work it out yourselves… good luck… way too hot for fixing!