Kirste's Wine by John Allin

Author:John Allin [Allin, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: True Crime, Crime Shots, Australia
ISBN: 9780987341952
Publisher: Clan Destine Crime Shots
Published: 2013-02-25T04:56:25+00:00

Greg and Christine Gordon still live in the little colonial-style triple-fronted home they built, in a quiet cul de sac, for $10,000 back in 1968. They've made some changes though since I was last here. There's a new room on the back, Kirste's room is now the study, the kitchen has been remodelled and, because of the serious water shortage, they've given the front lawn over to native plantings.

Their home, at top end of the Fleurieu Peninsula, is in grape country - McLaren Vale is just a stone's throw away and the coast is an easy drive. The locals call it the area the last stop before the country; and real estate agents, naturally, say the air is fresher than in the Adelaide suburbs. It seems to be true.

Now doting grandparents - Greg is nudging 67 and Christine is four years younger - they've had no reason to move from here, and every reason to remain. They retired from full-time teaching about nine years ago but with the need for good people in the education system they returned to teach part-time at a nearby college.

It is strange. We're sitting in the same living room in which I took my notes 32 years ago and it's almost as though time has stood still. The piano is still there against the wall, the sliding door is the same, the view into Kirste's room is familiar, and family photographs line the bookcase.

The bay window looks out onto a slightly more rustic garden and there are no kiddie-nose prints on the glass today. 'Baby' Ailsa is 34 now, and lives just a few minutes away with her husband and two sons, aged five and three. 'Little' Catherine is 37, lives interstate and has a nine-year-old son. Both are achievers who have built excellent careers. The family is tight-knit and Greg and Christine are proud as punch.

They are also as-ever welcoming hosts. They talk easily about how life has moved on. They have aged gently; neither looks anywhere near their 60s. Christine's generosity and warmth strikes me again; as does Greg's compassionate face. From a certain angle he looks a bit like World Vision chief Tim Costello, although his friends say he's more like British actor Michael Kitchen who plays DCS Christopher Foyle in Foyle's War. When Gordon talks his gaze is steady and measured. He has a reputation for being cool under pressure, able to find solutions quietly with minimum fuss. A handy trait, says Christine, who admits to being more impulsive.

After a while I produce Kirste's wine bottle from my briefcase. Greg is amazed and, clearly, the memories are flooding back. I think there may be a tear in his eye as he reads the label:

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