Benches, Bushwalks and Belonging: 30 Years of Calling Mosman Home.

Resident and Author Johan du Toit has lived in Mosman for 30 years.
By JOHAN DU TOLT
My family moved to Mosman 30 years ago, we became citizens at a ceremony in the council building a few years later.
As a daily walker I feel I know every square meter of this special place and as a migrant, my sense of belonging was reinforced by the wonderful local support for my second collection of short fiction, When Only Today Matters.

Johan often walks along the bush track at Georges Heights, where celebrates a new day with resident Kookaburra’s.
When setting off on an early morning walk one is spoilt for choice, with great expanses of water to the north, east and south of our peninsula. I have a few favourite routes beyond the popular spots like Balmoral Beach or Spit Reserve.
After a double espresso at Source Café on Raglan I often make my way to the bush track at Georges Heights where Kookaburras celebrate, with me, the start of a new day. This route rewards you with spectacular views across to Nielsen Park, the Manly ferry making its way to Circular Quay and then the North Head, standing proud as the sun rises on the east coast of my adopted country.

Author Johan du Toit.
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This path takes me down to the tip of the Middle Head where one can get close to the water, with an unobstructed view of the entrance to Sydney Harbour. An early morning visit to this spot inspired one of the short stories in my book. I tried to imagine a conversation between a father and his teenage son, sitting on this rock. From here I make my way along the recently established bush track to Chowder Bay and a view of the city.

Johan’s early morning walks inspired many of the short stories in his new book, “When Only Today Matters”.
I like to stop at benches with plaques dedicated to those who have walked these headlands before us. Often there are two names on the plaque, I assume a mother and father whose family knew about their special affection for that particular spot. People who came here for the same reason that I appreciate, the natural beauty, the quiet, the sounds of the bush.
These benches, with names of those who have come before, remind me that our community is made up of real people, families who have made Mosman their home for several generations. Modern-day privileges are welcome, like that first espresso of the day, but it is those who walk the streets and bush tracks who ultimately make this feel like home.

“When Only Today Matters” is available from Harry Hartog Mosman.
Johan du Toit grew up in a remote community, eight hours’ drive from Cape Town in South Africa. He immigrated to Australia in 1994 and lives with his wife in Mosman. Johan’s two collections of short fiction, Meandering Road and When Only Today Matters, are available from Harry Hartog in Mosman, as well as the Mosman and Lane Cove libraries.
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