Periodically old photos of Hazelbrook pop up on FB sites devoted to such things. I like to look at them not only because they represent the past, but also because of the connections to the present. People often moan about how ruinous change can be and sometimes change is genuinely detrimental to the economic and social well being of a person or a community. I tend to be more optimistic about change, seeing it everywhere, understanding its seminal role in history and its great potential for transformation. I am not talking about unbridled or unthought-through change, though these can be beneficial too, but change that occurs as a natural consequence of living in societies that will always be evolving. We live in a universe that is predicated upon constant change.

But I digress. Hazelbrook in 1983 was a town that I knew about, had driven through many times, and had admired for its old-time worldliness, especially at the intersection of Winbourne Rd and the Highway. The buildings that were at that site were demolished to make way for the four-lane highway expansion. The photo today is of the shopping centre 25 years ago, its principal interest being the cars (an Austin 1800 on the far left) and the advertisement for Millers Hi-Lo beer, which I used to drink at just around that time.